


eventually, darling

by lowkeyamen



Series: category is... [2]
Category: NCT (Band), WAYV
Genre: Acceptance, Alternative Universe - Ballroom, Coming of Age, First Relationship, Found Family, Gender Dysphoria, Gender Identity, Getting Together, Lesbian Character, More tags to be added, Multi, Non-binary character, Queer Characters, Queer Families, Self-Discovery, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, teenage runaways
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-17
Updated: 2021-02-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 02:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 25,280
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27606032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lowkeyamen/pseuds/lowkeyamen
Summary: After running away from home Renjun finds a new family, a new passion and a new boyfriend. Now Renjun just needs to try and find Renjun.
Relationships: Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Huang Ren Jun/Na Jaemin, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Nakamoto Yuta, Kim Jungwoo/Suh Youngho | Johnny
Series: category is... [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1968229
Comments: 74
Kudos: 99





	1. children on the street

**Author's Note:**

> it's here!  
> HOUSE!AU!!!! after me banging on abt it forever 
> 
> i love all of these characters so much u have no idea it's been so much fun writing and developing them and getting into their minds, i don't think i've ever enjoyed an au as much as this one - probable because it's full of lovely queers!
> 
> the main fic focuses on one of our kids journey though the world of gender identity and discovering who they really are thanks to their new found family and the world of ballroom. this is so incredibly self-indulgent i began writing it as a kind of therapy back in summer when i was having a really shitty time and just wanted to do smth for myself. i was massively inspired by programmes like pose and documentaries about queer houses, and how they acted as families to queer kids black and latinx kids who had no one else, so thank you black trans women for being the backbone of the LGBTQ+ community!
> 
> anyway i hope u all enjoy reading this as much as i have writing it!!
> 
> fic title from eventually, darling by declan mckenna  
> chapter title from i am everyone else by declan mckenna 💫
> 
> TW  
> homophobia mentions & homophobia slurs

Renjun peered over the shelves, trying to keep an eye on the shopkeeper and his best friend at the same time. Yangyang was over by the canned foods, which made Renjun furrow his eyebrows a little. He wasn't sure that was the best idea. Cans were heavy, and if they had to make a swift exit then… they were going to struggle. But on the other hand, they could make a tin of beans or spaghetti hoops stretch a few days. They didn't have to worry about anything going off. 

But, this was what Yangyang did best. He had gotten pretty good at shoplifting over the past few months. Not that either of them had much choice. 

"Excuse me?" Renjun stepped out from behind the shelving unit, smiling at the shopkeeper to catch his attention. Yangyang knew that meant it was time to move, ducking down to pile as much into his backpack and quickly and quietly as he could. 

"Do you have any fresher bread? This stuff goes out of date tomorrow." Renjun held up a pre-sliced loaf, the white processed kind that tasted like cardboard. Not that he could be picky right now. 

"Isn't there more out?" The shopkeeper took a few steps forward, as if he was going to round his counter and step out into the main shop floor. He'd be able to see Yangyang if he did, and that made Renjun's heart jump into his throat. 

"No! N-No…" fuck maybe he was a little too flighty there. "I've checked them all. They won't last long enough. Do you have any smaller loaves, at least?"

The shopkeeper sighed, clearly put out. Why did his father have to go into this business and pass the place down to him? Why couldn't he have owned a strip club or something more exciting?

"I'll check out the back."

Renjun smirked as he disappeared, knowing he had to get to work quick. He dived back behind the shelving unit, stuffing the loaf in his backpack along with a few packets of cookies and some of those little fruit pots. Not his finest haul, but he had to be quick. They needed to be out of here before—

"This one goes out in—"

Fuck.

Renjun froze as the shop keeper reappeared. That was quick. 

"Hey!"

"Run!" 

Yangyang leaped up, groaning at the weight of his bag as he legged it, throwing the shop door open with Renjun hot on his heels. 

The two of them sprinted through the streets as fast as their legs would carry them. It was obvious what they were up to, the amount of people turning their heads and shouting after them as they were pushed out of the way by two young boys. But it was far from a rare site. Not in this part of town. 

"Jesus." Yangyang hissed under his breath, backpack slipping off his shoulders with a metallic thud as he slid down the wall he was slumped up against, hitting the floor himself as he tried to catch his breath. "Fuck."

"I told you not to get so many heavy things. "Renjun hissed back, slapping the younger on the shoulder with the back of his hand. 

"I didn't think he'd see me!" Yangyang flinched away with a whine. "Please tell me you got water."

"I didn't have time to get near the fridge."

"Fuck." Yangyang swore again. His throat was killing from running. He desperately needed a drink. 

"I have a bit of change, though… Maybe we can go somewhere. Share something small and ask for tap water."

Yangyang nodded. He needed that. Really needed it. He just wanted to rest, even if it was only for half an hour. 

But half an hour turned into six and before Renjun knew it it was getting dark outside. Yangyang had fallen asleep, arms tucked under his face as he napped against the table in the dingy little diner that had ended up in. The only one they could afford that they knew had an unlimited jug they could get up and fill with water whenever they pleased without having to buy anything extra. Because they couldn't fucking afford it. 

Five months. Five months they had been living like this. On the street. 

Well, they didn't start on the street. The first few weeks they had just enough money to get themselves into a shared hostel, but… It didn't last. Things didn't slip into place as easily as they thought they would when they came here. 

When they ran away from home.

_"Renjun? Renjun, I—"_

_"What's wrong?" It was after nine at night. Why was Yangyang ringing him? He knew his parents didn't like him being on his phone this late._

_"C-Can I come over?"_

_"What? No— W— My parents will go off it."_

_"Please!" Yangyang's voice sounded weird. Foggy. A little pitched. Like he was crying… "I don't have anywhere else to go."_

_"What do you mean? What happened?"_

_"They kicked me out. Th-They know."_

_Barely fifteen minutes later and Yangyang was in his living room, being comforted by his mother as he balled his eyes out. He had a dark red mark on his cheek that was going to bloom into an ugly bruise and his lip had split. It made Renjun feel sick._

_And he knew why. He knew exactly why._

_But there was no way his parents could know why._

_Luckily Yangyang was too hysterical to talk._

_"What happened honey? You can tell me." Renjun's mother's voice was soothing as her fingers carded through Yangyang’s dark hair._

_"T-They kicked me out." Renjun could see his mother's heart wrench, as if that was completely unthinkable. Yangyang had barely just turned seventeen. How could anyone do that to their child? But Renjun knew she would do the exact same if she ended up in the Liu's situation._

_"Whatever for?"_

_"His grades!" Renjun interrupted before Yangyang had a chance to say anything. The younger shot him a look from across the room, knowing he should keep quiet. "His grades were slipping and_ — _"_

_"My Dad wasn't happy about it." Yangyang whispered, going along with the lie. "He— He said I'm not good for anything."_

_"That's awful." Renjun's mother gasped. Her son wasn't exactly a straight A student, but she would never throw him out for that. "Do you want me to speak to them for you?"_

_Renjun threw Yangyang a pointed look._

_"N-No! No, it's okay. I don't want to cause any bother."_

_The woman sighed. Yangyang was clearly fragile and looked like he had been through enough tonight._

_"Well you're welcome to stay here until you sort things out. Renjun should have a sleeping bag in his closet."_

_"So, how did they find out?"_

_Yangyang cracked an eye open as he sighed into Renjun’s pillow. His sleeping bag was all laid out on the floor, but he needed some comfort from his best friend. From the only person that understood him._

_"My Dad saw a message on my phone from that guy I've been talking to. I had him under a fake name; a girl's name… But he got into my phone and saw a picture he sent. Nothing— Nothing like that— Just his face, and… He lost it."_

_"Oh my god" Renjun whispered. That was his worst nightmare. It had been both of their worst nightmares — only it had become a reality for Yangyang._

_Aside from people they spoke to online no one else knew but each other._

_No one knew they liked boys._

_But now Yangyang’s parents did._

_"We can't let my Mom speak to yours."_

_"She's gonna find out." Yangyang sniffled. Sure, he was safe for now, but… It was only a matter of time. "Once they realise I'm here they'll tell her. And then— What if she finds out about you_ — _What if y—"_

_"Hey." Renjun shuffled in his bed, wrapping his arm as around Yangyang. He was only older by about six months, but he had always felt protective of his best friend. Ever since they were little kids. They had gone to school together, played in the street since they were tiny. Yangyang was all he really had — rumours circulating about the two of them. About their sexuality. No one else really bothered with them. No one wanted to be associated with the gay kids — even if neither of them had officially came out to anyone but each other._

_But Renjun needed to hold Yangyang. He needed to tell him everything would be okay, even if he wasn't totally sure that was true. No doubt if his parents caught wind of this they would make him leave, and then what? Would Yangyang just be out on the street? Would they kick Renjun out too? If they found out that he also liked boys, then… More than likely._

_"We'll deal with that when it happens, but… Maybe we should prepare."_

_"How do you mean?"_

_"We're gonna need a plan. And money. As much as we can get."_

Renjun was thankful for his forward thinking, because it was only a matter of weeks before shit hit the fan completely. He and Yangyang had managed to stop his Mom from calling the Liu's, managed to control the situation for a couple of weeks. But it was inevitable that she was going to find out. 

And it had gone exactly as predicted. She wanted Yangyang out, but couldn't believe the two of them had lied about why his parents never wanted to see him again. But Renjun had stood his ground the best he could, he tried to defend Yangyang because that was his best friend and he loved him and—

That's when it clicked for his parents. Even though Renjun didn't mean it like that, he and Yangyang were just friends, but suddenly it made sense to them why he was so defensive of this faggot. 

He was a fucking faggot too. 

And that was five whole months ago. Five whole months since he had been kicked out too. Since the two of them ran away to the big city to try and find work or whatever. To try and make lives for themselves in what they hoped to be a more progressive and accepting environment. 

Only that didn't really work out. Two high school dropouts with no fixed address or bank accounts since they'd been cut off by their parents trying to get a job? Impossible. 

They made money where they could, doing odd jobs, selling what little possessions they had left, but… They mainly made it from stealing. Pickpocketing. Christ, they had even taken from charity collectors. 

But they were in need of charity, right? They were just two kids with nowhere to go. 

"Yangyang." Renjun shook his friend's arm, trying to wake him up. The waitresses were starting to get suspicious even though they had tucked themselves away in some corner. "Wake up!"

Yangyang groaned, burying his face in the crook of his elbow. "Don't wanna."

"We're gonna have to move on." Renjun whispered. "They're gonna kick us out."

Yangyang forced himself up. He was absolutely shattered. He had gotten almost no sleep last night, staying awake on lookout to make sure nothing happened to them. They usually took it in shifts but Renjun had spent the day unloading slabs of meat for a butcher's shop so Yangyang figured he had earned the rest. Unfortunately, he hadn't made enough for them to have a roof over their heads for the night, meaning it was yet another stint in the park, but he was trying. And this was Yangyang’s way of saying thank you — by making sure he was safe. 

"What time's it?" Yangyang’s voice was laced with sleep as he squinted outside. It was dark. How long had he been asleep? 

"I dunno, eight, nine maybe?" It was March, coming up to Renjun’s birthday. They had just about survived the winter — somehow — and the nights were finally starting to get lighter and the air a little warmer. It made sleeping outdoors a hell of a lot easier. Renjun hoped to god they would be out of this situation by next winter. He just needed to devise another plan. One that would get them somewhere safe to stay. Permanently. 

"We should get going or we're not going to get a spot." They had usually began to bed down for the night by now, but Renjun was thankful of the chair he was sat in even if the stuffing had seen better days and his ass had begun to go numb —it was nice to feel like a civilised human, sitting at a table and chair every once in a while. 

"Yeah, you're right." Yangyang yawned, slumping back against his chair. He was still half asleep. He felt kind of sick, actually. "Maybe we should head to the other park across town. It's usually less busy."

"Sure, let's go."

Renjun took Yangyang’s bag for him, he looked like he could barely stand, never mind carry it. He hoped he was just really tired… That he wasn't getting sick or anything. Aside from the odd cold or two they had been pretty lucky so far. He wasn't sure how they could cope with anything worse. 

But they both desperately needed to rest so they headed across the neighbourhood towards the other park. It wasn't that far, maybe a half hour walk, but Renjun could see Yangyang was lagging. 

"Maybe we should go somewhere else. You're clearly wrecked."

"Like where? It's not like we have any money."

"I dunno, we could just find a doorway or whatever."

"No way, the park is much safer." The last time they slept in a doorway someone tried to mug them at knifepoint. Lucky the assailant was off his face on god knows what and Yangyang managed to push him over and they ran. But he hadn't been willing to stay anywhere like that since. "It's not that far. I'm sure there's a shortcut down this alley."

Renjun sighed, following his friend. And people usually said he was the stubborn one. He was just trying to look out for Yangyang. He didn't look too well, and that worried him. A lot. 

"It's loud."

"I think there's a bunch of clubs down here."

"We better be careful…" Renjun mumbled to himself. Drunk people made him nervous. They were so unpredictable. So, he stuck as close to Yangyang as he could, arms wrapped around himself to keep his coat shut — the zipper long broken. It was beginning to get chilly. They needed to get to the park and get some sleep as soon as possible. 

But then something caught Renjun’s eye. Or rather, someone. 

"Woah."

She was amazing. A giant. Had to be bordering on two meters. She towered over Renjun; he could tell that even from across the street. 

"Look at her." He whispered to his friend, pulling on Yangyang’s sleeve a little to get him to stop. He didn't want to seem rude and stand and stare, but…

Yangyang followed Renjun’s gaze to the woman across the street, chatting to a couple of people as she leaned up against the wall to some club, cigarette in hand. He didn't get why they were stopping for this. 

"It's just some drag queen."

"No, but she's like— She doesn't look like a drag queen." Her hair wasn't overly teased and definitely didn't look like a wig, makeup wasn't plastered onto her face like the drag queens Renjun had seen on TV — the ones he would watch in private when his parents went out for the night. She looked… Really beautiful. Feminine. "She's pretty."

Yangyang grunted before heading off again. They really didn't have time for this. 

"Come on, if we don't get there soon all the good benches will be taken."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"This is the third time this week you've skipped school, and it's only Wednesday. What's going on with you?"

Jaemin rolled his eyes as Jaehyun chastised him _again._ They needed to get off their high horse. It wasn't like they ever went to school. 

"I just didn't feel like it. My only classes were in psychology anyway and I don't understand it so what's the point in going?"

"Then why did you take the class? You literally got a choice."

"I thought it was gonna be fun! Like learning about dreams and stuff not dogs being electrocuted. I don't like it."

Jaehyun sighed, taking a bite from their bagel. They had agreed to meet up with Jaemin for what they thought was a free period, only to find out he hadn't bothered going in at all. 

"If Mother asks, I'm not covering for you again. She's going to find out."

"Well maybe I'll just drop out. Get a job or something."

"Oh yeah? Doing what? You can't get a decent job without an education."

"You make plenty."

"I let guys jack off to me on camera." Jaehyun smacked their brother on the arm, making Jaemin whine. "And that's because I didn't go to school. You're not ending up like me. You have a chance to actually make something of yourself thanks to Mother. Don't throw that back in her face. Wish I had someone to look after me when I was your age."

Jaemin merely hummed in response, clearly over the conversation. He just didn't want to go anymore. He was sick of people picking on him and making fun of the way he dressed. He felt happy and safe when he was at home with everyone else — with people who were like him. But as soon as he stepped into that building… No one understood him there. 

"You want the rest of this?" Jaehyun shoved their half-eaten pastrami bagel in his face, which Jaemin would usually wrinkle his nose up at, but… He didn't have any money on him to buy his own breakfast earlier, and no doubt if he complained he was hungry later Jaehyun would refuse to buy him something anyway, so he took it. Nothing like sharing germs with your sibling. 

It was nice out, actually. No wonder he didn't want to be cooped up in school. He'd take a stroll through the park with Jaehyun over that any day — even if the elder was being particularly bitchy today. They and Yuta must have had another argument or something. That usually put them in an awful mood. 

"Yangyang!" 

Jaemin was just about to ask what had crawled up Jaehyun's ass and died when he heard shouting from further down the path. It was barely even 9am, there weren't exactly many people about. 

But he did see someone on their knees next to one of the benches, cradling someone else, who was laid out against the wood, arms limply hanging down by his side. 

"What's going on over there?"

"Probably took too much spice." Jaehyun of all people knew exactly what being completely strung out on a park bench at this time in the morning was like. 

"We should go see if they're okay."

"Jaemin, come on—" Jaehyun sighed. They didn't have time for this. They were hoping to usher him back to school before Mother found out or something, not get mixed up with a couple of teenage druggies. 

But Jaemin was already off, jogging over to the two of them. And Jaehyun couldn't exactly just leave him to it. They'd have to go join in too, ever the responsible adult. For fucks sake. 

"Yangyang!" Jaemin approached the boy on the ground as he shook the other. "Please wake up!"

"Hey—" He held a hand out, not wanting to actually make any contact in case the kid really was on drugs and freaked out. "Are you okay?"

The boy turned his head, dark locks a mess and eyes watery. He looked scared. Really scared. He probably had no idea whether he could trust this person with baby blue hair or not. 

"What's wrong with your friend?"

"I- I dunno, I think he's sick. He won't wake up."

"Is he breathing?"

"Yeah." The boy sniffled. He was, he just— He wasn't responding. At all. 

"Has he taken anything?" 

Someone else appeared behind the blue haired boy. Someone… Someone unlike anyone else he had ever seen. Were they a girl or a boy? And what were they wearing? Some crazy embellished denim jacket with a little crop top underneath. Their shoulders were wide, abs rock hard and their hair was short, baby pink and shaved underneath but they had more makeup on than Renjun had ever seen on one human being. Not that it mattered. That was the least of his concerns right now. 

"No! No of course not."

"Move over a little." This mystery person shuffled him along, hand resting against Yangyang’s forehead. He or she was covered in tattoos, but… Like little doodles, not anything like the full sleeves and intricate meaningful pieces Renjun was used to seeing. They looked kind of stupid. 

"He has a fever. You need to get him to a doctor."

"A doctor? I— We can't. We aren't from here. We don't have any money."

Jaemin and Jaehyun exchanged a look. 

"What's your name?"

"Renjun." The boy sniffed again; eyes locked on his best friend. Yangyang looked so pale. So… He should have stayed awake all night last night. Should have let him rest, but instead he was selfish. They swapped halfway through the night and when he woke up this morning Yangyang was barely conscious. And now he… "Is he gonna be okay?"

The two strangers mouthed something to each other behind Renjun's head, but he had no idea what - he was trying to focus on Yangyang, squeezing his hand, hoping to god he would squeeze it back. What was he meant to do if he lost him? He couldn't— He couldn't go on if…

"We can't." He heard one of them hiss behind him. 

"We _have_ to. What if Johnny had just left you, huh?"

Renjun heard a sigh, not wanting to turn around. It felt rude encroaching on their conversation when they were trying to help. 

"Fine. Call Kun. She's not working today." The voice returned to its normal volume as Renjun saw the blue haired boy grab his phone from his pocket. 

"We're gonna take you both home with us, okay?"

Renjun’s heart rate increased as the person next to him placed a hand on his shoulder. What did that mean? Why— Why would they want to take them in? What were they going to do to them…?

"But— We— We can't, that—"

"He needs looking after and a warm bed. He won't get better out here."

Renjun didn't know what to say. Going off with anyone terrified him. He hadn't relied on anyone but himself and Yangyang for so long. 

But what else was he meant to do? Yangyang was sick… Really sick. 

"She's on her way. What's your friend's name?"

"Uh— Y-Yangyang."

"I'm Jaemin. Nice to meet you." The boy with the blue hair — Jaemin — smiled. "And that's Jaehyun. We're going to help you, okay?"

Renjun nodded dumbly, not sure what else to do. 

"Don't worry, you'll be safe with us." Jaehyun's hand on his shoulder squeezed a little, trying to reassure him. "Our Mother will help look after him."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Get out of the way!" 

Renjun scuttled close behind Jaehyun as they carried Yangyang into a house across the other side of the town. The two of them followed a girl called Kun who had picked them all up from the park, a girl who seemed to know exactly what she was talking about when it came to Yangyang’s condition. 

He had just about come to in the car, though his eyes would barely open and he didn't seem able to use his words properly. Renjun hoped he hadn't been spiked or something. Hoped he hadn't taken a drink of water from a stranger last night and been drugged with god knows what. 

But Kun seemed fairly sure he just had flu, and his symptoms had worsened from having to sleep outside and not getting enough nutrients. 

He followed the two of them upstairs to the first floor of the house, trying to avoid eye contact with the various other people whose heads were poking out of rooms and what not. He had no idea what to place was… But it honestly made him nervous. 

But he had to trust them. What other choice did he have?

"Just lay him down on there."

Renjun hovered by the doorway of a bedroom as Jaehyun lay Yangyang on the bed. The walls were painted baby pink and had fairy lights hung everywhere. 

"Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling?" Kun knelt down beside the bed, her fingers carding through Yangyang’s sweat soaked hair as he mumbled in response. "I'm going to need you to take these tablets, okay? Can you sit up for me?"

"Where's Renjun?"

"He's just here, don't worry." Kun beckoned him in, hoping it would put Yangyang at ease a little. He must be confused. And not just because of the fever. "Jae, can you get Ten and ask her if we have any soup left? I made some the other day when Jisung came down with a cold."

Jaehyun disappeared out of the room, heels clipping against the wood in the hallway as they allowed Renjun to take their place by the foot of the bed. He didn't know what to do with himself, not until he realised Kun needed help getting Yangyang to sit up, then he was by his best friends' side in an instant. 

"Here, take this. It's just paracetamol. You're burning up but you're shaking, I'm hoping it's just the flu, but I'll keep an eye on you in case it's sepsis or—"

"Sepsis?" Renjun whimpered as Yangyang’s head lulled onto his shoulder, medication down his neck. "Isn't that really serious?"

"It can be, and… I might not have everything he needs here, so—"

"Are you a doctor?"

Kun smiled softly, eyes flickering over to Yangyang. "Not quite."

Renjun’s eyebrows furrowed for a second, about to ask what that meant when someone else burst into the room. A petite girl dressed head to toe in baby pink with long, perfectly curled blonde hair. Followed by a cat… 

"We don't have any left, but I've put some stock on to boil. We can make m—" She stopped as she noticed the two of them on the bed, eyes widening as she saw the state Yangyang was in. "Oh my god. Is he okay? He's so… He's so skinny."

"I'm hoping it's just the flu and that he needs rest. How long have you two been on the streets?"

Renjun swallowed as the cat jumped on the bed and curled up next to Yangyang. He wasn't sure if it was wise to answer that or not. He didn't know whether he should be giving too much away to these complete strangers. 

"It's okay." The blonde girl smiled, perching herself on the end of the bed. "We've both been there."

"Y-You have?" Renjun found that hard to believe. They both looked so put together. How did they get out? "About five months."

"That's rough. You run away?"

Renjun nodded. 

"Can I ask why?"

"We—" Renjun was terrified of telling anyone. Terrified it would just cause more problems. What if they kicked the two of them out once they found out they were gay? What would happen to Yangyang then? "I don't want to talk about it…"

Kun frowned. She knew it was difficult to talk about, but… Sometimes it helped. 

She wasn't going to force things, though. 

"Well, you can stay here until he gets better. Me and Ten can sleep somewhere else. Right?"

The blonde girl nodded, a wide smile on her face. Why would they be willing to do that…? For them? 

"We— Is this your room?" The pink walls made sense now, actually. "We don't want to cause any trouble. We can sleep on the floor somewhere or—"

"He needs rest, and by the looks of it so do you." Ten stood, rounding the bed so she could get closer to Yangyang. She popped herself down in Kun's lap, the others arms wrapping around her waist as if on instinct.

Wait— Were they—?

"He looks so fragile. Nothing a few hot meals and a warm bed won't fix."

"Are y— Are you two—"

Kun smirked at the rabbit in the headlights look on Renjun’s face. 

"Lesbians? Yeah. You got a problem with that?"

"N—No, I— We…" His eyes flickered across time Yangyang for a second. "We—"

"That's why you ran away?" Ten asked, despite the fact she already knew. "Your parents found out you're together?"

"Oh! No— We aren't together. He— He's my best friend, we just… We're both—"

"Gay?"

"Yeah…" Renjun breathed. He wasn't sure if he had ever actually said that word aloud. 

"Well, it looks like the right people found you then." Kun's smirk turned into a soft smile. "We're all fucking gay in here."

Ten nodded, agreeing with her girlfriend. 

"Welcome to Maison Pandora."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated!! pls let me know what u thought ♡  
> feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/lowkeyamen) or send me any questions etc on [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/lowkeyamen)  
> thank u for reading!


	2. so, you've left it all behind you?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here 🥰 we finally get to meet Mother Doie and some of the other kids!!
> 
> It's my bday so I figured what else would I possibly post than my new fave au 💖💖
> 
> I hope u enjoy!!!
> 
> Chapter title from Bethlehem by Declan McKenna 💫

Doyoung kicked her heels off as she walked through the front door. It had been a really, really long fucking day. They had a ball coming up this weekend and they were so unprepared it was really starting to stress her out. She had too many kids to look after and not enough money to do it. And now she was probably going to have to cook for them all because no doubt no one else had bothered. 

Just another day in the House of Pandora.

"Mother's home!" She shouted, making sure any trouble they were getting up to would be abruptly halted. _Please_ at least say they had cleaned the dishes. 

"Mother!" Mark popped his head around the doorway, black hair scraped up into a pathetic excuse of a ponytail on top of his head. Great, another mouth to feed. Why wasn't he at Taeyong's? "Dinners nearly ready! Why don't you go relax in the living room?"

Doyoung popped her keys and her purse on the table next to the door as she quirked an eyebrow. Dinner? Nearly ready? Had she entered some kind of alternate universe? 

_"You_ cooked?"

"Hey!" Mark folded his arms across his chest. "No. I could if I wanted, but… Taeyong and Ten did. I just supervised."

Doyoung smiled softly. So Taeyong had come over. That made a little more sense. At least she knew she wasn't going to end up with food poisoning. Mark couldn't even fry an egg.

"Well thank you, honey." She patted him on the head as she walked past. "I have a million and one things to do tonight so at least that's one of them covered. Is Jaemin home yet? I need to speak to him."

"Uh… Mark blinked a few times, knowing exactly where Jaemin was, but… "Nope! Haven't seen him! Although, I've been in the kitchen ever since I got home from uni. You know? Haha. Just came straight in and Taeyong asked me to cut some vegetables so I did because you know how stressed he gets when — haha. You know…" 

Doyoung's eyebrows furrowed. Mark was the worst fucking liar. 

"Tell him I need to speak to him when you see him. Okay?"

"Yes, Mother!" Mark did a little salute before disappearing back behind the kitchen door. Only to pop his head around once more. "Seriously, go relax. In the living room though. Don't go upstairs, ahaha. Wait— I mean. The living room is closer. Yeah. You don't want to waste your energy climbing an—"

And then Mark was gone, clearly pulled back into the kitchen by someone else to stop his waffling. 

It couldn't be more obvious that something was going on upstairs that they were trying to hide from her, but Doyoung wasn't sure she could even be bothered to find out. Looking after fifteen runaway teens and young adults was so much effort, often it was easier just to turn a blind eye and let them get on with it sometimes. 

So she made her way into the living room instead. She unzipped her a-line skirt to give her a little room to breathe and to bend her knees so she could sit on the sofa comfortably. She would have loved to go slip into a pair of leggings and a nice oversized sweater, but… 

This was nice, actually. So long as she pushed whatever they could be getting up to upstairs to the back of her mind, it was nice to be able to come in and relax for a change. She wondered if there was even time to grab forty winks before dinner was ready. 

But no such luck. 

"Mother! I think I've got it!"

Within minutes of settling down, Xuxi burst into the room, dirty blonde hair pinned back off of her face and a garment laid across her arms. 

"It's taken me _forever_ and I've wasted so much goddamn fabric cause her legs are so stupidly long and she kept changing her mind, but I've finally finished Jungwoo's outfit for the Glitter Ball this weekend!"

She held up a magnificent ball gown, one fit for a Disney princess in the most gorgeous pastel jewel tones. Xuxi was amazingly talented. 

"Oh, wow." Doyoung gasped, standing so she could run her fingers through the tulle skirt. "It's amazing. If she wants to win, she's wearing it whether she likes it or not."

Xuxi giggled softly at the praise. Designing for Jungwoo was a nightmare, but she was their top trophy winner so she put up with the tantrums and the bratty outbursts for the sake of the House. 

But when Doyoung loved something, Xuxi knew Mother was on her side. Jungwoo wasn't going to get any say. And that made her happy. Really happy. 

"Have you met the new kids yet?"

"The… The what?"

Xuxi's eyes widened. Ah fuck. That would be a no. She wasn't meant to say anything… Her and her big mouth. 

"The— Uh— Oh, the—"

"Guys! Dinners ready!" 

Xuxi deflated as Taeyong called them from another room. Oh thank god. 

"Guess we better go!" Xuxi hung the dress up on the door before fleeing the scene. She was just going to hide in the dining room and try to avoid any of the drama she may have caused. 

Doyoung raked her fingers through her hair. God, she wished she had a scrunchie to tie it back because she had a feeling she was in for a stressful night. She sincerely hoped no one had brought another stray in. She couldn't cope. The house was bursting at the seams as it was.

"Mother!" Jeno was at the dining room door the moment she pushed it open, guiding her into the room like some kind of valet. She was even wearing a waistcoat. What were these kids up to? "Come in!"

"Here! Sit down!" Jisung beamed as he pulled her chair out for her to sit in, the one at the top of the table. She narrowed her eyes at him as she settled down.

The rest of the kids were already in their seats, beaming down the table at her. Or at least most of them. She noted that Jungwoo and Johnny weren't present - but, they rarely were. Sicheng was more than likely still at uni or work. Jaemin wasn't around either. He was probably hiding upstairs; knowing he was in trouble for not going to school again. Taeyong and Ten were still in the kitchen, probably dishing up with Xiaojun's help. And Taeil was nowhere to be seen. Not that Taeil was one of her children; they were more or less the same age. Co-House Mothers. Kind of. Taeil liked to take on more of the fun Auntie role. And god forbid she join them for dinner. 

"Okay, what's going on?" She asked, arms folded on the table in front of her. Her children were anything but subtle. They were all being _too_ nice. They were clearly up to something. 

"We're having dinner." Chenle fluttered his eyelashes, causing one of Doyoung's eyebrows to cock. 

"Yonggie and Ten cooked so you didn't have to." Haechan stated matter of factly, as if there was literally nothing else going on at all. 

"We know you have a lot to do for the ball, so we want to try and help more."

Doyoung let her shoulders relax a little at Kunhang's words. That was sweet. Really sweet… 

"Well, thank you. That's lovely." She smiled as Xiaojun popped a bowl of soup in front of her. Chicken? They only had that when someone was sick. Her recipe was known for curing just about all ailments. 

Maybe it was the only thing they knew how to make. 

That wouldn't surprise her. 

"Where's your brother?" She addressed Jaehyun as the three of them dished up the rest of the bowls. 

"He's upstairs. He has a surprise for you, actually."

"A surprise?" That sounded ominous, especially as the rest of the children seemed to begin whispering to one another. "Is it that he actually went to school for once? Because that would be truly shocking."

Jaehyun merely cleared their throat, not wanting to get into that one. 

"You'll see."

"Where are you taking that?"

Xiaojun stopped in their tracks as they headed out the room with a couple of bowls on a tray. 

"Just… Taking them to Jaemin."

 _"Three_ bowls of soup?"

"He- He's hungry?" Xiaojun tried, not really sure how far they were meant to take the lie. They wished Jaemin would just come down already. This didn't even have anything to do with them. 

Doyoung sighed, pushing her chair back so she could head upstairs and sort this out herself. 

"Mother! Wait!" Kun leapt out of her seat, almost knocking Xiaojun over in the process. "Be quiet."

"Be- What? This is _my_ house, Kun." Doyoung stopped halfway up the stairs. "I'll be as l-"

 _"Please."_ Kun stage whispered as she got a little closer. "He's not well."

Doyoung's heart dropped. Jaemin wasn't- What was wrong with him? 

"Jaemin? Baby?" She made her way to Jaemin's room to go check on him only to be stopped half way. Who- Who was that in Kun and Ten's room? Who- "Jaemin?"

"Mother." The blue haired boy whispered as he got up off the bed. There were two other boys next to him; they couldn't have been any older than he was. One looked terrified and the other was fast asleep, wrapped up in a blanket on the double bed. 

"He has the flu. We think." Kun spoke as quietly as she could, leaning up against the door frame. She wondered if Yangyang had woken up since she last checked on him. "They've been on the streets for months."

"I found him, and he was really sick." Jaemin took a few steps closer to his Mother. This was a little awkward with Renjun being in the room and all. "I couldn't just leave him! They- They ran away… Just like I did."

"They're-?"

"They're gay." Jaemin interrupted, before anything else was said. "They got thrown out. I know- I know we don't have a lot of room."

"Any room."

Jaemin cast his eyes down. 

"...Any room." He repeated. They were already all crammed together. The sixteen of them sharing three bathrooms. "But he was barely conscious."

Doyoung sighed. Jaemin was clearly concerned. She had raised him well. 

"What's your name, sweetie?" She crouched down next to the bed, fingers brushing some stray hairs out of the sleeping boys eyes, making him stir a little. 

"Renjun. This is Yangyang. I'm- I'm sorry. We don't want to be any trouble, but… If you could give him a bed for the night then- I don't mind leaving. As long as he's safe-"

"Don't be silly. I'm not going to throw you out." Doyoung could never do that. It wasn't in her nature. "You can stay until he's better, but, we really don't have any room. I'm sorry."

Renjun nodded. He understood. He was grateful for anything, especially when Yangyang was sick. "Thank you so much. We'll be out of here as soon as we can. Thank you."

Doyoung smiled softly. It broke her heart to turn people away, especially when they were so young, but it just wasn't feasible. They were barely scraping by as it was. There was no way she'd be able to afford to take two more kids on. 

"Have you given him anything?"

"Just paracetamol. We don't know if he's allergic to aspirin or anything."

"Okay, just keep an eye on him. Maybe wake him up in a bit so he can have some food. Taeyong prepared some chicken soup. Do you want to come eat with us while he's resting?"

"I- Uh…" Renjun looked across at Jaemin who nodded, before turning back to Doyoung. "That- That would be nice."

"Come on, darling. You look like you haven't had a warm meal in months."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Renjun?"

Renjun's eyes cracked open as a weak voice called his name. He had barely slept - he couldn't. He was too used to being awake and on guard when Yangyang was asleep even though this was the first mattress he had laid on in god knows how many months. 

"Hey." He whispered. Yangyang was finally awake. They had tried to wake him for some food, but he couldn't. He'd just roll over and go straight back to sleep. He was probably starving. "How are you feeling?"

"Where are we?"

"We're- Someone took us in."

"Wha- Who?" Renjun could see the panic in Yangyang's eyes even in the dim lighting of the room. 

"Her name is Doyoung. She's Jaemin's Mother… I think."

"Jaemin?"

Oh. Maybe Yangyang couldn't remember even speaking to him. He was completely delirious before. 

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"Uh…" Yangyang tried to think back. "We were in the park. You woke me up so you could sleep and… I can't- Nothing."

"You must have passed out. I couldn't get you to wake up the next morning and I was freaking out and Jaemin and his brother… or sister… I dunno. But they came and helped. They brought us here. There are loads of people just like us."

"Like… Gay?"

"Yeah." Renjun smiled. It was nice, actually. He had never even met another gay person before. Not besides Yangyang. And now he was surrounded by people just like him. Even if it was only going to be temporary. "We can't stay forever, but… They're gonna look after us until you're better."

"That's nice." Yangyang let his eyes fall back shut. His eyelids felt like they were on fire if he kept them open too long. 

"Are you hungry?"

Yangyang shook his head, only for his stomach to grumble straight after. 

"You haven't eaten in days. You'll never get well if you don't eat

"It's fine. I can wait until the morning." 

Renjun sighed. He didn't even have a clue what time it was. That could be hours away. 

"They made you some soup. I'll see if I can go get it."

"Renjun-" Yangyang whined. He didn't want to be any trouble. 

"I'll be back in a minute."

Renjun made his way out into the hall and up the next flight of stairs. Jaemin had pointed out where his room was if they needed anything, and although Renjun didn't really want to disturb him, the house was deadly silent… He didn't want to risk just going into the kitchen in case he set an alarm off or they thought he was stealing or anything. 

"Jaemin?" He whispered, poking his head around the door. Woah. Doyoung really wasn't kidding when she said they had no space. The room was bare apart from two mattresses on the floor. One single, the other with two bodies curled up on top of it. He really hoped he didn't wake all three of them up. Luckily Jaemin was closest to the door. 

"Jaemin." He tried again, shaking the other boy lightly. It seemed to work, Jaemin creaking an eye open only to jump in fright, clearly not expecting anyone to wake him up. 

"Jesus." He hissed. "What time is it?"

"I'm not sure… Sorry. I didn't want to wake you, but… Yangyang's up."

"Is he okay?" Jaemin pushed himself up, hair all mussed up on one side. 

"I think so. He's hungry."

"The soups downstairs, come on."

Renjun followed Jaemin into the kitchen, passing the living room where he saw Ten, Kun and another girl he didn't recognise from dinner before curled up on the sofa bed. They barely fit. It made him feel guilty. They should be the ones down there. 

He watched as Jaemin threw the bowl of soup in the microwave to be heated up, eyes flickering across to the clock on the wall. 1 AM. It was earlier than he had thought. 

"Have you slept at all?"

"Not really."

"That's a shame; this is the quietest it's been in weeks." Jaemin stretched his back out as the soup rotated on its little glass plate. "Jungwoo and Johnny have been bringing all sorts of people home lately, carrying on the party from god knows where."

"Who are Jungwoo and Johnny?"

"More of Mother's kids. Jungwoo thinks she can do what she wants cause she brings the most trophies home and Johnny is… Well, she's Johnny. They like to party. They're always waking me up."

"Wait… She? ...Johnny?"

"Yeah." Jaemin laughed under his breath. That always raised a few eyebrows. 

"She's like the butchest lesbian you'll ever meet. Goes by Johnny. She's like 6'3 and I don't think I've ever seen her without a leather jacket. She's way manlier than me and has never even had to take T in her life." Jaemin scoffed. If anyone could make him feel shit about himself just by looking at them it was Johnny.

Renjun blinked. He didn't understand many of those words, but one from beforehand made his ears prick up. 

"Trophies?" Renjun cocked his head. "What kind of trophies? 

"From the balls." Jaemin opened the microwave door just before it pinged, not wanting to disturb anyone. He grabbed a towel to protect his hands as he lifted the bowl out. God knows how many times he had burned himself on stuff from the microwave. It wasn't like he could cook. "She's gorgeous, I'll give her that. And she knows how to work the runway. Grab a spoon, will you?"

Renjun did as he was told, scuttling upstairs after Jaemin. He had absolutely no idea what the other boy was talking about, but once he realised Yangyang was still awake and ready to eat all the questions left his mind. 

"Hey. I brought you some soup!"

"Oh thank you." Yangyang looked up at Renjun, who was mouthing _'that's Jaemin'_ behind him. "Jaehyun? Right?"

"Jaemin. Jaehyun's my… Sibling. Kinda. They were with me when we found you."

"They? Who else?"

"Oh, no. They as in Jaehyun. They use they/them pronouns instead of he or she or whatever. They're genderfluid."

"Gender…? Fluid?" Yangyang had never heard of that before, and his brain was much too tired to process any new information tonight. Jaemin seemed to pick up on that, telling him he'd explain in the morning if Yangyang felt any better. Right now they had to get him fed. 

"I can't remember the last time I ate something this good." Yangyang sighed, not even bothering to use a spoon, drinking the soup straight from the bowl instead. He was fucking starving. It felt nice, having something hot trickling down your throat. 

"It's only soup." Jaemin laughed under his breath. "But I get it. When I first came here, I can't even describe how happy I was to take a shower."

"Oh my god." Yangyang whined, trying his best to keep his voice down, despite how much the very idea of being doused in warm water excited him. "Can you even remember how that feels?"

Renjun laughed softly as Yangyang turned to him. "Amazing. I had one when you were asleep."

"I'm so fucking jealous."

"You can have one tomorrow. If you have the energy to stand."

Yangyang sighed. He still felt like shit. He was freezing and sweating at the same time - which he felt kind of guilty about considering he probably already smelled like death to start with. His head hurt and his sinuses were all stuffy. And despite the fact he had slept for almost twenty-four hours he was absolutely shattered. 

"I hope so… What's wrong with me?"

"Kun thinks you have the flu." Jaemin started as Yangyang blinked at him. "Kun's like our in-house doctor… Who never finished medical school. She thinks you'll be okay, though."

"You just need some more rest." Renjun took the bowl from Yangyang as he was finished with it, popping it on the bedside table. He could always take it downstairs later. "And keep drinking water."

"I could do with more sleep." Yangyang settled back down on the bed after drinking half of the glass of water Kun had left next to the bed. "I'm wrecked."

Yangyang was fast asleep again within minutes as Renjun stroked through his hair. 

"You should probably get some sleep yourself."

Renjun's lips quirked up for a second. He knew that. But he probably wasn't going to…

"I'll stay up and watch him, just in case."

"You really care about him, huh?"

"He's my best friend. If I don't look after him no one will."

"You remind me of Jaehyun. When I first met them, they got so protective of me."

Met?

"I thought h-they were your brother… Or sister… Or-"

"Sibling? They are. Just not by blood. Jaehyun's always been there for me; well, ever since I left home. They've always looked after me."

Renjun hummed. He had never even considered the fact they weren't related, but he figured it made sense. Doyoung had clearly not given birth to all these kids. 

"What are those balls you were talking about before?"

"Oh! Only the best thing ever! They're literally what we live for!"

Jaemin went into great detail about dressing up and showing off your best outfits. About the walking and the dancing. About mixing with people from your community - people who were just like you. The queer youth, driven underground by heteronormativity and cisgender males. 

About the gorgeous trans women showing off how far they had come. About the trans men dressed head to toe in dapper suits. About the drag queens in the most outrageous costumes and high heels. About the butch lesbians and the femme gay men. About the non-binary individuals who paid no attention to the laws of gender set by society. About everyone coming together as one big queer family. 

"We're going to the Glitter Ball on Saturday! It's going to be so much fun. Mother is letting me vogue. I've been practicing and she said I'm finally ready!"

"The Glitter Ball? And… You said there are Drag Queens too?" Renjun couldn't get that queen he had seen the other day out of his head. She was stunning… He had- He had always wondered what it would be like to dress up as a pretty woman. The long hair… A nice dress… Eyeshadow and lipstick and false eyelashes… Maybe even a pair of heels… The idea gave him butterflies. 

And the other night… Well, she looked flawless. Nothing like any drag queen Renjun had seen before. She looked like a real woman. But that was a gay bar so that made no sense… Unless she was a lesbian. Huh. He had never considered that before. 

This whole thing was kind of confusing when you came from a small town that wouldn't even acknowledge anyone who wasn't straight. 

"Sure! There are loads. Are you interested in that?"

"Oh…I dunno, I've never—"

"You've probably never had the chance, huh?" If Renjun was kicked out for being gay then Jaemin reckoned he probably had never been able to dress up before. 

But that wasn't entirely true. He may have waltzed around in one or two of his Mom's skirts while she was out at work. Only for a few minutes, though, before he freaked out and hung them back up. Imagine the fallout if she had seen him in one of those? He would have been kicked out a long time ago. 

"Not really."

"That's a shame. You should come on Saturday! Yuta can do your makeup! He's an _amazing_ queen!"

Renjun felt his face flush. Makeup? Him? He wasn't so sure… Plus, he kind of hoped Yangyang would feel better by then. As much as he would love to stay here a little longer and revel in the luxury of sleeping in a bed with a roof over his head… He just wanted his best friend to feel better. He didn't want to impose. 

"I dunno, I don't want to be in the way."

"You won't be! Balls are _so_ much fun. Trust me. You're gonna love it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated!! pls let me know what u thought ♡  
> feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/lowkeyamen) or send me any questions etc on [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/lowkeyamen)  
> thank u for reading!


	3. imagine you're dressed in gold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we're back! happy new year 🥳🥳🥳  
> renjuns getting ready for his first ball 🥺 and we get to meet my favourite character, the legend herself, Ms Taeil Pandora!   
> how do u think baby's first ball is gonna go!!! its a bit of a long one so settle in and enjoy the party!
> 
> chapter title from the key to life on earth by declan mckenna

"You have a good face for this." Yuta mused to himself as he brushed something or other onto Renjun's eyelids. He couldn't see what, he had been banned from looking in the mirror, he had to wait for the big reveal. "Your bone structure isn't too manly."

"Thanks… I think."

"It's a compliment. Or at least I would take it as one. I would kill to not have to contour the shit out of my jaw."

Renjun hummed to himself, not sure what to say even if he definitely did take it as a compliment for some reason or another. This was the first time he and Yuta had spoken alone and small talk wasn't really his strong suit. Honestly, all of the tattoos on his arms and chest were a little distracting. They reminded him of Jaehyun's, just a bunch of weird symbols and line drawings. There was so much to look at he kept forgetting to answer Yuta's questions. 

Saturday had come around quick. Really quick. He and Yangyang had been staying here for four days now, and Renjun knew he shouldn't be allowing himself to, but he was starting to feel quite at home. 

He knew they couldn't stay here forever, and he was more than thankful for the bed Doyoung had given them, but he would absolutely love to be part of this dysfunctional little family. 

Aside from Yangyang, he had never really spoken to anyone since the two of them were kicked out. Sure, there had been a conversation here and there with another runaway. They'd be invited to come join around a fire for warmth or whatever. But he hadn't had a real, deep conversation with anyone but his best friend in almost five months. And he already knew Yangyang; he hadn't gotten to meet a new person and get to learn all about them for so fucking long. 

But now— Now he was surrounded by this group of the most interesting characters he had ever met. And he was learning so much. 

Take Yuta for example. He was a drag queen. He loved dressing up in elaborate outfits and doing all of this crazy makeup. He was by far the most creative person Renjun had ever met, even if he was yet to see Yuta in his full regalia in the flesh yet. He had just seen pictures — but he was totally floored by them. 

But Yuta was just a boy. He still liked wearing makeup in his everyday life and Renjun definitely wouldn't describe his normal clothes as particularly manly… But he still considered himself a boy, no matter whether he was wearing a long black wig and a little crop top or not. 

And that confused him, especially when he looked at Yuta's boyfriend. Or his girlfriend… His… _significant other._

Jaehyun. 

Jaehyun described themself as genderfluid, which was a whole new word Renjun had never even heard of before. He didn't realise that some people felt neither male nor female, or perhaps a mix of both. And that definitely confused him to start with. It defied all of the rules and regulations he had been taught about gender up until now. 

Jaehyun simply flitted around the spectrum, didn't like to be pinned down to one specific gender because they felt comfortable in different things on different days. 

But what was even more confusing to Renjun was that Jaehyun used they and them pronouns which completely blew Renjun's mind because those were plural words. Right? You used them for a group of people…

Apparently not. They were just gender neutral. And those were the pronouns Jaehyun used. 

But Yuta didn't use them… Even though the two of them dressed kind of similar. And Yuta was a boy but Jaehyun wasn't… 

And it fascinated him. 

He wanted to know more. 

But he discovered certain questions were deemed rude. 

Like asking what sex someone was born. 

_"You don't need to know what's in my pants, sugar. That's between me and Yuta."_

Renjun remembered how red his face flushed after asking. He felt awful. He just… He was curious. He just wanted to know who this person was. 

But Jaehyun assured him that didn't matter. Jaehyun was a genderfluid individual who used gender neutral pronouns. Their genitals had nothing to do with who they were. It wasn't anyone else's business. 

And Renjun respected that, but it did confuse him. A lot…

And he knew that question shouldn't even be in his mind but it was hard to make it go away after eighteen years of assuming. It was kind of weird once he thought about it, actually. You knew exactly what was in someone's pants just by whether they went by him or her… 

Usually. 

That's how it was at school, anyway, and he had never really thought about it, but… 

Maybe they and them pronouns were a good thing. People wouldn't pre-judge you. 

Or maybe they'd judge you more because they didn't understand. 

According to Jaehyun that tended to be the case. 

_"People will go out of their way to misgender me. I swear it's like some kind of cisperson sport."_

He was scared to assume anyone's gender in his house in case he got it wrong and offended anyone. At first he had just figured the ones that looked like girls were girls and the ones that looked like boys were boys. Because there were a handful of people in here he learned were transgender and… They looked good. Really good. 

Ten was gorgeous. She was petite and clearly took great pride in her appearance. She was like a little blonde Barbie doll, all of her outfits looked like they had been plucked straight from some bubblegum pop music video. 

And then there was Taeyong. Taeyong didn't live with them, but he had been with Doyoung for a long time. She had taken him in when she was just young herself and helped him find a career and a place of his own. Now he repaid the favour by coming over and helping Doyoung with her new set of kids and by taking Mark to live with him because they really didn't have the room. 

And Renjun would never have guessed he was transgender just by looking at him. Sure, he was short, but Renjun didn't exactly have the nerve to judge anyone based on that. But he looked good… Strong jawline and almost perfect features… 

He had thought that maybe the ones that looked androgynous or… like a mix were in the process of transitioning or something? He had heard of transgender people before and he knew it would be rude to point out that maybe they didn't look quite like the gender they were transitioning too, or whatever… 

But clearly not. 

This whole non-binary thing had totally thrown him off. Not only that, but… There were all these other words.

 _"I'm non-binary but I go by he/him, mainly."_ Xiaojun had mused one afternoon after coming home from school. And that blew Renjun's mind, because Xiaojun looked just as much like a little doll as Ten did, only less pastel miniskirts and six inch heels and more frilly black dresses. He looked like one of those pretty porcelain dolls you might be scared of in case it was cursed or something. _"They/them is okay too though. I don't mind."_

 _"She/her!"_ Jeno beamed from the other sofa as the two of them watched a movie in the living room. _"I know I look like a pre-pubescent boy, but I'm just a big ol' lesbian."_

 _"They only. I'm agender, so… He and she make me—"_ Renjun remembered Haechan doing a little shiver which put him off asking what on Earth agender was. He didn't find out until he went to ask Jaehyun later on. _"I've been thinking about experimenting with neo-pronouns… But I'm not so sure. My life is already confusing enough."_ Neo-pronouns? Renjun had no idea what that even meant. He was scared to ask. 

By the end of the four days Renjun's head was spinning. He was going to have to make a list of this and carry it around with him just in case… The last thing he wanted was to hurt anyone's feelings or cause some dysphoric episode. He knew there would be people here who had to deal with that enough to start with. 

It was weird how much these few days had made him think about gender… About different relationships. He had felt like such an outcast back home for being gay, but he was as weird as it got back there. This house was filled with people who didn't conform to gender norms. People who were born in the wrong bodies. People who liked more than one gender. People who had more than one partner… 

And it was eye opening. Really fucking eye opening. So eye opening it made Renjun feel a little giddy. He had all of these people around him who were deemed to be freaks and weirdos just like he was and they… They were a family. They all shared a surname. They were Pandora's They were so accepting and all loved each other and—

He wanted that. 

He wanted that so bad. 

He wanted to stay, but… there was no room at the inn. He could see that with his own eyes. Doyoung must be struggling enough to feed them all, and Kun, Ten and their other girlfriend, Sicheng (that's right! three of them! all together! crazy!) had been sleeping in the living room the past four nights to give him and Yangyang a place to rest. 

He knew it wasn't fair to even ask to stay, not after the generosity they had all shown them, but… God he would give anything to be part of this. 

"Okay! You're all done!"

Renjun opened his eyes as Yuta spun his chair around to face the mirror and-

Oh. 

Who was— Was that him? It couldn't be. He wasn't that pr—

Renjun raised his hands to his face just to make sure he wasn't dreaming, jaw dropping as the reflection did the same. 

No way. No fucking way. 

"Well? What do you think?"

Yuta must be getting worried over the fact Renjun hadn't said a word since the reveal. He hoped his makeup skills weren't slipping. 

"It's—" he was speechless. Completely. "I look… Beautiful."

Yuta giggled softly. "Told you you have good bone structure. I didn't go too crazy for your first time, just enhanced the features you already have."

Renjun blinked as he took it all in. His eyebrows were drawn in a little higher than his natural ones. How the hell had Yuta even managed to cover them? The arch made room for more eyeshadow to be applied to his lid, a sort of smoky peach colour, darkened out the outer corners to give his eyes some depth. They were lined with a sleek wing and a wispy pair of eyelashes that Renjun could see in his peripheral vision every time he blinked. 

His skin looked flawless, like those airbrushed models he saw on the magazines. Not a pore or pimple in sight. His cheeks were rosy with a peach glow and every time he moved his face a glittery sheen seemed to highlight a cheekbone or the very top of his nose. 

Yuta had finished off the look with a sparkly lipgloss that tasted like cherry and probably wouldn't last the night because Renjun's tongue couldn't stop itself from poking out and helping itself to some. 

"I can't believe this is me."

"You look pretty good, huh? You would make a really cute girl."

Would he? Cute? Renjun looked down from the mirror for a second as his eyes began to water for some bizarre reason. Maybe he was allergic to the mascara. 

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yeah. Good." Renjun sniffled. "Thank you."

Yuta hummed as Renjun stood up, not missing the way he dabbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt, despite the fact he kept his back turned. He had clearly forgotten about the mirror. 

"Are you sure?"

Renjun nodded. "I'm just being stupid. No one's ever done anything like this for me before."

Yuta smiled softly. Renjun was really sweet. He reminded him a little of Sicheng when they first met. 

Sicheng had no idea who she was back then either. 

It made him wonder if Renjun was in the same boat…

"Come here." He opened his arms out, allowing Renjun to melt into him. Being hugged felt nice… Really nice. "You can come over whenever you want your makeup done, okay? I don't mind."

Renjun nodded. _Come over._ They all knew he and Yangyang had to leave, but… Part of him had hoped maybe someone would try and vouch for them. 

"Now, why don't you go see Ten or Xiaojun about something to wear? They're both just as tiny as you, and there's no way you can turn up to the ball with a beat face and _that_ ratty old t-shirt."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Renjun honestly felt like he had stepped into some alternate universe. He wasn't sure what he had expected from this ball thing… But this wasn't it. 

He thought a ball was where rich people put on big fancy dresses and suits and did the waltz. Like on Downtown Abbey or Cinderella or whatever. He had wondered what this group of misfits in their outlandish, often revealing, outfits were doing turning up to a place like that… 

But it turned out this ball was nothing like what he had thought. 

They were in a big room, maybe some kind of club — one where the tables and chairs had been pushed to the outskirts and the stage was filled with some kind of DJ and a table full of… judges? 

The room was dark apart from some colourful lights shining against a disco ball above and three bright spotlights creating a runway just ahead of the stage. 

And the place was packed. Packed full of… weirdos. Of people just like in the house. Of people like Renjun. Boys in makeup and women with buzz cuts in suits. Gorgeous girls and men with no shirts on. There were people dancing, stealing a kiss, having fun… And they were all queer. Every last one of them. 

He had noticed some of the family disappear off into some back room with the tonnes of stuff they had brought along with them. Renjun had no idea what was in all of those bags or on the clothes rails they had rattled down the street, but he was sure he was about to find out. 

"So what's going to happen?" He half shouted at Jaemin. The younger was stood next to him, sipping on a beer. Renjun opted to go for a Diet Coke. He had never actually drank before, he would have been thrown out way sooner if he had, and this didn't seem like the place he wanted to do it for the first time.

"You'll see." Jaemin beamed, perfect white teeth glinting as the disco ball sparkled above them. Cute. Jaemin's smile was cute. 

Renjun barely had the chance to take another sip when the room darkened, all lights pointing to the stage, to the DJ or whatever… Though he didn't seem to have any decks. Weird. Just a podium and a microphone. Maybe that's what actually happened in clubs. Why bother learning to use decks when you had iTunes and the shuffle button. 

"Category is…'' The man bellowed, making Renjun's heart leap for some reason. "Drag Queen Luxury!"

The lights turned back to the empty runway on the dancefloor and someone appeared at the very top of it. Someone taller than anyone Renjun had ever seen in skyscraper heels and a low cut sequin mini-dress. 

"Woah."

The drag queen strutted up and down the runway, showing off every bit of her outfit. The earrings. The belt clasped around her cinched waist. How good her ass looked thanks to an expensive set of pads. The over the top, heavily contoured makeup. 

She looked amazing. But Renjun was glad Yuta hadn't done his makeup like that. He kind of liked looking like an actual girl. It made him feel pretty. 

He stood in awe as he watched a couple more drag queens do their thing until he was snapped out of his trace by Jaemin screaming next to him. 

"Ahhh! Yuta! Bitch! Yes!"

And Renjun's jaw dropped as Yuta stepped onto the runway. 

He looked. _Wow._

He sauntered through the crowd, hips swishing to show off his figure in the tight rhinestoned crimson fishtail dress he had on. He looked so… Classy. It had long sleeves and a boat neckline and chiffon ruffles that cut from mid-calf to the floor, a train of vermillion flowing behind him. He looked like he was going to the Oscars or something.

His hair was a deep copper and perfectly waved, just about covering one eye. His lips were bright red, and even from afar Renjun could tell they were covered in glitter. And his eye makeup… Renjun had never seen anything so gorgeous. He really was a master. 

"Jessica Rabbit realness!" The man on stage shouted. He seemed to shout random words every so often and Renjun didn't always understand what he was talking about, but this time he did. Yuta really did look like Jessica Rabbit's more sophisticated sister. Tiny waist, pouty lips and curves in all the right places. 

Renjun had no idea someone like Yuta could look so feminine… He was amazing. 

"Cheer for him!" Jaemin whispered under his breath. Renjun had been standing there speechless for half of Yuta's walk. 

Oh. Right. 

"Wooo! Yuta!!!" Renjun wasn't sure what else to say. He hadn't quite picked up in all of the lingo. He didn't understand why people were shouting work. That seemed like an odd choice. "Go Yuta!"

Jaemin laughed softly beside him as he clicked his fingers. Cute. Renjun was adorable. 

"Judges, your scores, please?"

Renjun turned to the stage. They scored people? Wait. Had they done that for the others? He had been so wrapped up in how good the queens looked he had barely even noticed what was going on around him. 

"Come on, Yuta." He just about heard Jaemin hiss out over the crowd. 

And then the judges began turning their placards, followed by the emcee reading the numbers out as they did so. 

"Ten! Ten! Ten! Ten! Ten! Ten's across the board! Grand prize: Yuta Pandora; House of Pandora!"

Jaemin screamed next to him, making Renjun clap with excitement. Yuta won? Oh my god. The size of the trophy they were passing down to him? It was probably bigger than Renjun was! This was crazy!

"Come on, let's go backstage."

Jaemin grabbed Renjun by the hand and dragged him through the crowd until they pushed through a door that was filled with the rest of his family. 

"Mother! He won!"

"Of course he did, darling." Doyoung smiled, taking a sip of her cocktail. "Those other queens don't hold a candle to our Yuta."

Renjun gasped as he looked around. There were so many clothes… All hung up waiting for someone to step into them. Haechan was at the mirror, styling Taeyong's freshly dyed forest green hair into a messy centre parting. Mark was spraying some kind of glitter onto Jaehyun's chest… Who looked totally different. Renjun was used to seeing them all made up in some layered 80s style outfit and a pair of heeled boots, but tonight… They just looked like a normal guy. A really buff normal guy. And Xuxi was making some last minute adjustments to Sicheng's outfit. 

Everyone looked so beautiful… 

It made him feel a little out of place. 

Sure he had a face full of makeup, but when it came to clothes he chickened out a bit. Ten had offered him an array of dresses and two piece sets with pleated skirts which she insisted he would look amazing in, but… He wasn't ready for that. Just the thought made his heart race. 

So instead Kun has put him together an outfit of some of her clothes. She had much more casual things than Ten did. Still cute and feminine, but… Not a skin-tight dress that would barely cover his ass. 

And he felt pretty cute in his cropped sweatshirt and ripped jeans when he had left the house, following behind everyone with Jaemin after making sure Yangyang would be okay with Kun who had offered to stay and look after him. But now he felt kind of boring. Maybe he should have squeezed into the baby blue peplum skirt Ten had suggested. 

"That's one trophy down a whole load left to go! Jaehyun, doll, go show them that a real man doesn't need to be a man at all."

Jaehyun nodded, stretching their neck muscles out a little before heading into the main ballroom, only just in time to catch Yuta for a kiss as he headed back with his trophy. 

"There you go, Mommy." He smiled sweetly, before turning on his heel. "I'm gonna go watch my Peach put all those cisguys to shame."

Renjun craned his neck a little to try and peek out at what was happening as Yuta left, followed by Mark and a couple of the others. It was nice that they wanted to cheer Jaehyun on… Whatever it was they were doing. 

But he felt like he needed to stay close by Jaemin. He was scared of getting lost. 

"Don't you look sweet?" Renjun hadn't even realised how close Doyoung had gotten until her fingers were brushing against his cheekbones, making him jump a little. 

She looked different all dressed up. Pretty and poised in her floral 50s style dress, the circle skirt flared out so much it made her waist look tiny. Her dark hair was curled off of her face and she was wearing a shocking red lipstick. She looked glamorous, but still really motherly. She looked like one of those perfect stepford wives out of one of those old movies his Mom used to like. 

"Baby's first ball."

"He's been having fun, right?" Jaemin smiled, fingers intertwining with Renjun's again, only this time he wasn't dragging him off somewhere. It made his tummy feel weird. "I think Renjun would make a pretty good drag queen. Yuta says he has good bones or something. And you know… We need another—"

"Jaemin. Don't." Doyoung turned, taking back her seat in the middle of the room. "Don't do that. It isn't fair on him. You know we don't have the room."

"But, Mother! We could move around a bit! They could stay in the living room! You wouldn't mind that, right?"

"W—"

"Jaemin Nana Pandora." Jaemin rolled his eyes as his Mother used his _full_ name. Nana was the nickname she used for him when he was younger and it just kind of developed into his middle name, especially for when he was being told off. "We've been through this. You know I hate turning anyone away, but I have no choice." She turned to Renjun, who was looking a little uncomfortable during all of this. "I'm sorry, darling. But I have been able to get you and Yangyang a place in a local youth hostel. They'll be able to look after you for a few weeks. I wish I could let you stay, but—"

"Then let them! We made room for Jisung!"

"Jaemin! Don't cause a scene or you'll be going straight home."

"But you said I could perform tonight!"

"Not if you keep back answering me."

Jaemin deflated. He just— He wanted Renjun to stay with them. Yangyang too. It wasn't fair that they were just going to be thrown back on the streets like they were nothing. Mother had given him a chance. Why couldn't she do the same for them? 

"I-It's okay. You've already done so much for us." Renjun squeezed Jaemin's hand; he didn't want him to miss out on dancing just because of him. "I really appreciate everything. Especially looking after Yangyang. I don't know what would have h—"

"Don't." Doyoung held her hand up. "Don't even think about it. He's getting better and he's going to be okay."

Renjun nodded. He was. Thank god. 

"Tonight we're just going to enjoy ourselves, okay? Now go out there and see how your sibling is getting on."

Jaemin mumbled a _fine_ under his breath before leading Renjun back into the ballroom. Everyone seemed to be going wild, screaming and cheering, and it wasn't until they reached the front of the crowd that Renjun understood why. 

There were three or four men on the floor in barely any clothing, humping the ground and pulling out all sorts of stripper moves and— Woah. 

One of them was Jaehyun. 

Renjun couldn't get over the contrast between this fucking Adonis in the middle of the floor ever so slowly dropping to their knees in front of a very excited Yuta and the one he knew back home. 

These balls really were something else. 

And it just kept going. There was category after category. Girls prancing around in stunning gowns. Men dancing in the twinkiest outfits Renjun had ever seen. Fashionistas of all genders strutting down the catwalk. 

It was like nothing Renjun had ever seen before and he was absolutely in awe of the place. 

"Oh my god! I'm on soon! I need to go get changed. Wish me luck!"

Renjun barely had time to open his mouth to say those two words when Jaemin kissed him on the cheek and disappeared into the back room. 

Something else that left him speechless. 

"Someone's in luuuurve." Chenle slid up beside him, wiggling his eyebrows as he took a sip of his beer. Even under the foundation he could see Renjun blushing and he found it hilarious. "Did you see th—"

Chenle was about to turn to elbow Jeno who he thought was standing beside him when he stopped, frozen stiff. Renjun followed his gaze, landing on a woman around Doyoung's age in a Chinchilla fur coat and matching pillbox hat. It was boiling in here. Wasn't she hot? And why was she wearing sunglasses inside? 

_"You,"_ she started, snatching the bottle of beer from Chenle's hand and whipping her sunglasses off at the same time so the boy could see the full extent of her glare, "are not old enough to drink."

"B-But—"

"Go get yourself a vodka lemonade. What have I told you about being sneaky? Your Mother will kill you if she sees you with this, you're only sixteen!" The woman nudged Chenle with her elbow, urging him to go to the bar as she took a swig of the beer. "And get me one while you're at it. Double."

"Yes, Auntie." Chenle mumbled under his breath before slinking off into the crowd. 

The woman looked Renjun up and down now it was just the two of them; it made him shrink back a little. No doubt she thought he looked absolutely ridiculous. And compared to her, he did. She was stunning. Petite, pouty glossy lips, barely a scrap of makeup on minus her eyelash extensions and a bit of highlighter to make her extra glowy… Renjun wished he looked that effortlessly beautiful. 

"And who is this pretty little thing?"

Renjun's ears turned red. Pretty? _She_ was calling _him_ pretty?

"I-I, I'm not—"

"Listen, doll, if I say you're pretty you are. I have a very good eye. You Jaemin's little sweetheart?"

"Oh! No— No. We're just friends… I barely know him."

"Trust me, honey. It's easier if you don't." The woman scoffed. "Jaemin's a good boy, though. You could do a lot worse."

Renjun wasn't sure whether he was meant to laugh or not. But then she held out a silk gloved had for him to shake. 

"I'm Taeil. The fun Auntie of Maison Pandora. And you are?"

"Renjun… Just Renjun."

"Well, Just Renjun, it's nice to meet you. What brings you to a place like this? How do you know my Jaemin?"

"Well, it's my f—"

"Jaemin found him on the streets." Chenle appeared out of nowhere, two glasses in his hands, which earned him a playful slap across the back of the head. 

"It's rude to interrupt ladies when they're talking." Taeil swiped one of the drinks from Chenle, handing him back the empty beer bottle in its place. "Go see what's happening back there. Jungwoo will need help getting into her outfit."

Chenle groaned but did what he was told anyway. He couldn't think of anything worse. 

"So, you've been living on the streets? That's awful. Thank god Doyoung took you in."

"Yeah. I'm really grateful." Renjun smiled. "It's only for a couple of days then we'll be out of her hair, but— It means a lot to—"

"Oh? You're not staying? Have you got somewhere else to go?"

"Doyoung said she had found a youth hostel that we—"

"A _youth hostel?"_ Taeil brought her hand to her chest, clearly horrified by the idea. "Oh no, no, no. That simply won't do."

She threw back her drink, thrusting the empty glass in the hand of some passer-by so they could deal with it, and before Renjun knew it his fingers were once again intertwined and he was being pulled through the ballroom. 

"Doyoung!" Taeil bust through the door that led to the room where everyone was getting ready, causing a couple of the semi-dressed family members to shriek, attempting to cover themselves up. Thank god it was only their Auntie. "What's going on?"

"What are you talking about?" Doyoung turned, one hand on her hip, the other holding an eyeshadow brush. "I didn't even know you were coming tonight."

"I wanted to see my daughter win another trophy." Taeil scanned the room. Where the hell was Jungwoo, anyway? Late again, no doubt. She got that from her Mother. "But then I met this little darling."

Renjun was pulled forwards, his fingers still laced with Taeil's. 

"You're kicking them out?"

Doyoung sighed. This was the last thing she needed right now. They were in the middle of preparing to walk their next category. 

"Taeil, I'm kind of busy."

"Jisung. Hang this up." Taeil slid her arms out of her fur coat, throwing it in Jisung's direction in the hope he would catch it, her gloves following suit. Renjun wasn't quite sure where to look as he laid eyes on the tiny lavender dress she had on underneath. There was barely any material to it. 

"Over here."

She crooked her finger in Doyoung's direction, urging her into a corner so they could talk about this away from the kids. 

Doyoung sighed, before telling everyone to continue getting ready. If they didn't talk now Taeil would just hound her and distract everyone until she got her way. 

"We have no room. You know that."

"We had no room last time. Or the time before. We've had no room since there was just ten of them, but that hasn't stopped us."

"Stopped _us?_ You're never there. You're off in your fancy penthouse in the middle of the city. I'm the one left to look after them all and I can't take another one in. Never mind two. You take them to live with you if you're so bothered."

Taeil scoffed. That was ridiculous. 

"And how do you expect me to make any money with two kids hanging around?" It just wasn't possible. Imagine the look on her Sugar Daddy's face when he turned up to ravage her out of the blue and she had two teenagers playing Xbox in the room. Kind of a mood killer. "Look, we can afford it. I'll make sure we can."

"It's not just that—"

"I'll ask for more allowance. Tell him I want my cheeks done or something. He'll pay up. Plus, I won't have to see him for a while whilst _they're recovering_. It's a win win."

Doyoung rolled her eyes. Taeil just didn't get it. 

"I've already got them sleeping three to a room; I don't have any space for them. You know I'd love to keep them, but—"

"They can sleep in the living room or whatever." Taeil shrugged. Surely that was better than a life on the streets. "Jungwoo will be moving out soon. That'll free up a room."

Doyoung exhaled through her nose. Jungwoo and Johnny had been planning on moving out for a while, but Jungwoo's own Sugar Daddy was playing hard to get. He kept dangling the apartment keys in her face and snatching them away. And then it was only a matter of time until it all fell apart when he found out Johnny was living there too. Doyoung didn't have high hopes for their big plan to get out, if she was being perfectly honest. 

"Taeil, it's too much. I c— I can't look after any more."

"They're getting older. All of them. They can cook for themselves, right? And you have Ten and Kun, they love looking after the kids. They don't need you as much. Maybe it's time to cut the apron strings a little. But… You can't just throw them away. Look at her."

"Him." Doyoung corrected as she turned. Renjun was chatting to Kunhang about something or other. "He and his friend… They were thrown out because they're gay. Been living on the streets ever since."

"And they're just kids! You know those hostels won't keep them for more than a few weeks. Then what? You don't want them to have to go through what we did. Do you?"

"Of course not!" Doyoung bit back. She would never wish that on anyone. Especially not anyone as sweet and innocent as Renjun and Yangyang were. It was obvious they hadn't had to resort to drastic measures… Yet. But— It was only a matter of time. They wouldn't be left with much other choice. 

"Fine. I'll let them stay."

Taeil squeaked, ready to clap her perfectly manicured hands together when Doyoung stopped her. 

"On one condition. You need to come over and help out more. Since Taeyong moved out it's been really hard because he's not there all the time, and… God I need more adult company. I'm literally surrounded by kids."

"Okay." Taeil held her hands up. She had kind of been slacking recently. "I'll help more. So long as it doesn't interfere with my job. I'm the money maker here, remember?"

"I know." Doyoung turned again, smiling softly as her eyes rested on Renjun. "They're gonna be so happy when we tell them."

"How about we wait until we get home? Tell them both together?"

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

Renjun wasn't sure what came of Doyoung and Taeil's conversation, the two of them didn't mention it again for the rest of the night. The next thing he knew he was being ushered back out into the ballroom to watch the vogue categories — which turned out to be some sort of dancing or whatever. It didn't really interest him all that much if he was being perfectly honest; he much preferred looking at the showgirls in their fancy costumes. 

But then it was Jaemin's turn, and he couldn't take his eyes off of him. He may have barely paid attention to the rest of the dancers in the Virgin Vogue Category — which apparently was for newer dancers — but Jaemin was the best one. By far. 

The smile on his face was so wide it made Renjun feel all funny inside. Made his heart beat just a little faster. It made him want to smile back and cheer as loud as he could because… 

Jaemin was gorgeous. And it made him wonder if Chenle was being serious before. 

He knew love was a big, stupid, exaggerated word, but… What if Jaemin liked him? Because Renjun was pretty sure he liked Jaemin back. 

The rest of the category passed without Renjun paying much attention, his brain had pretty much turned to mush and it didn't reconstruct itself until Jaemin was running over to them with a trophy in his hands. 

"Mother, look! My first trophy!" He screeched at an almost inhuman level as he bounced up and down. Everyone crowded him, the majority of the group — who weren't in the process of getting ready — coming to watch and support him. Which was nice, right? They really were like a little family. 

"You did great, honey. Give it here and I'll go put it with the rest of our winnings." She pressed a kiss to Jaemin's forehead, before taking the trophy and swanning off. 

"Did you see that?" Jaemin was still bouncing as he turned to Renjun. "I know I didn't win and my trophy isn't as big as everyone else's but runner up is pr—"

Jaemin's rambling was cut off by a pair of glossy lips smushing against his own. And his eyes were wide open from the shock but— He didn't actually realise who it was kissing him until they pulled away. 

Renjun. 

Pretty little Renjun. 

"Woah."

"Sorry!" Renjun fretted, not quite sure what to do with his hands. "I don't— I didn't— I'm sorry!"

"No, don—" Jaemin placed a hand on Renjun's arm, hoping to calm him down and stop him from trying to escape. "Don't be. I-I liked it."

"You did?" Renjun wasn't sure what came over him. Jaemin just looked so happy and proud of himself he needed to congratulate him somehow, right? And… Well his stupid brain just screamed KISS HIM! And before he knew it that's exactly what he was doing. 

But Jaemin liked it? 

"Yeah… I-I like you, I just… I never thought you'd be interested in someone like me."

Renjun's eyebrows furrowed. What did that mean? If anything it should be the other way around. He was the one who had just been pulled in off the streets. The one who might end up back out there in a few days. Jaemin could do so much better than him. 

"Wh— What do you mean?"

"It's just," Jaemin shrugged, "you know, I—"

"Category is…" He was cut off by the emcee, Renjun shouting 'what!?', unable to hear what Jaemin was saying. But he merely waved his hand, signifying they would talk later. Now was not the time. This was a big one. "Femme Queen Realness: Bring it to the Glitterball!"

Jaemin gasped. This was it. The moment they had been preparing for _weeks_ for. He grabbed Renjun's hand, leaning in close so he could hear. 

"You have _got_ to see this!"

He pulled Renjun to the front of the crowd, slotting in front of Jaehyun and someone even taller than them that Renjun had never seen before. He wondered if this guy was part of the family too, it seemed like just about everyone else was here. Like they had all gathered around for the main event. 

He didn't even realise anything had started until Jaemin screamed beside him, directing his attention to the top of the runway. 

Holy fuck.

"Ten! Girl, yass!" People began to scream around him, and it was no surprise. 

She looked drop dead gorgeous. Like something out of a movie in this little corset covered completely in golden crystals of all different sizes. A collection of bigger, tear drop shaped ones surrounding one single ruby in the very centre, between her cleavage, directing the eye to that exact spot. And her waist. Renjun had no idea how she had managed to squeeze into a corset so tiny but her waist looked so little he reckoned he could wrap both of his hands around her and his fingers would touch no problem. That only made her hips look wider, framed by even more crystals. She was literally dripping in them. 

Well, it was the Glitterball, after all. 

She sauntered down the runway, still managing to look delicate and petite despite the skyscraper heels she had on. And everyone was going crazy over her. Blonde hair styled into victory rolls, a tiny crystallised hat perched on her head. Subtle smoky eyes with a blinding glitter in the inner corners that caught the light in all the right ways and a bold red lip. Long, completely bare legs showing off every inch of her perfectly sculpted figure. 

She looked like a pin up. Like something somebody had drawn — a figment of their imagination. Because there was no way she could possibly be real. 

But she was. And she was blowing a kiss to Sicheng in the crowd, one her girlfriend caught with excitement. 

She was real. 

And Renjun almost wanted to be her. 

But before he knew it she was gone and someone else had stepped on the runway. Someone with a voluptuous figure squeezed into a sequin bodycon dress and long wavy hair all the way down to her tailbone. 

She was gorgeous too. 

Where were they finding all of these flawless women? 

And why was Renjun so entranced with them? He thought he was gay. No. He _was_ gay. He had been kicked out and disowned by his parents because he _was_ gay. 

But he couldn't take his eyes off of these women. One by one they strutted down the catwalk and he was completely in awe of them. He wanted to snap a picture of them so he would never forget this moment. 

But he wasn't sure why. 

He definitely wasn't attracted to them. 

He was almost jealous of them. 

They were so beautiful. 

He could never be that beautiful. 

"Oh my god! Here she comes!" Renjun was snapped out of yet another trance as Jaehyun grabbed onto his arm. Who was this? Why were they all so excited? 

"Presenting the legendary daughter of the House of Pandora!" Renjun could feel his heart racing and he wasn't even sure why. "Miss Jungwoo!"

And then everything seemed to go quiet, because the woman that stepped out onto the runway, legs the length of Renjun's entire body, a figure that blew everyone else out of the water _completely,_ and a face that deserved to be on the front cover of some Italian fashion magazine. 

That was her. 

The woman he saw the other night. 

And she wasn't a drag queen. 

Oh god no. She wasn't some man playing dress up. 

She was real. 

She was a woman. And the most perfect woman Renjun had ever set his eyes on. 

It almost made him feel nauseous for some reason. Made him want to burst out in tears. 

Why was she having so much of an effect on him? She was just… Some girl he had never even met. Just… One he happened to be infatuated with the other night. 

And now here she was again, looking even more flawless in a fully crystallised ball gown. The top half a corset covered in a gradient of amethysts and baby blue stones, the bottom poofed out with layers upon layers of tulle, the front cut short to show off those magnificent pins while the rest of the dress trailed behind her like she was walking down the aisle toward the man of her dreams. And on her head sat a bejewelled tiara. She knew she was a fucking queen and she completely owned it. 

She was the most spectacular person Renjun had ever set eyes on in his life. 

"That's Jungwoo?" He just about managed to pick his jaw off of the ground for a second to whisper out.

"That's her! Our fucking princess."

Renjun wasn't at all surprised that the judges picked Jungwoo to be their grand prize winner. Anyone who thought differently had to be out of their minds. Though, he did feel a little sorry for Ten, even though she came in second place. He wondered if she was used to that, competing against Jungwoo all of the time. 

"You!" Renjun was pushed out of the way by someone behind him as he tried to get to Jungwoo, only to wrap his arms around her waist and plant a big wet kiss to her lips. "Were amazing. As always."

Jungwoo giggled as she kissed him back. Renjun definitely should be looking away right now, but…

"Ugh. Come on, before her and Johnny start fucking in the middle of the dancefloor." Jaemin tugged at his arm, following the rest of the family over to a table they had congregated around. Taeil had deemed it time for a celebration and drinks were on her!

So that was Johnny? And she was a girl? God, she was huge! She looked like more of a dude than Renjun did. Especially tonight. 

He had a lot to learn about gender still. 

"Okay _one drink_ and then it's home time." 

Some of the kids groaned at Doyoung's words. 

"Just one? God, your Mother is so boring. You should all come party with Auntie sometime, children."

 _"Please_ don't encourage them." Doyoung begged. It was bad enough with the way Jungwoo and Johnny went on, never mind the rest of the kids going out on three day drinking benders. She was ready to go home. It had been a long night. And… And she was kind of wondering how Yangyang was doing. She knew Kun was more than capable of looking after him, but she couldn't help but worry. 

She hadn't even asked them to join the family yet and she was already worrying about him like he was her own. 

Taeil was right for once. There was no way she could turn them away. 

"Plus, we have some exciting news and I want to share it back home."

"What is it?"

"Are we getting a dishwasher? Please say yes! My nails can't handle it!"

"Are we going on holiday?"

"Is it about the next ball?"

"Is Jungwoo finally moving out so I can have her room?"

"Oh god please say it's that, Mother! I'm sick of being kept up by them!"

"It's none of those things." Doyoung put a stop to the speculation, despite the fact it made them all groan in chorus. "Like I said, you'll find out when we're home. So finish your drinks and we'll pack up and get going."

Everyone did as they were told, chatting amongst themselves as they drank. They all knew fine well that finish your drinks did not mean down them when Doyoung was involved. From Taeil? Yeah, maybe. But Doyoung was the sensible one. That's why she was their Mother. 

"Jaemin. Go tell your sister she's coming home tonight. I want her and Johnny to be there too." Doyoung nodded in the direction of the two of them, who were dancing together in the middle of the crowd. Jungwoo still had her ball gown on, the one it took Xuxi hours upon hours to make and was probably now getting ruined, trampled under people's feet. She was so fucking inconsiderate. 

But Jaemin did as he was told, even if it was with a roll of his eyes. 

He linked Renjun's arm, clearly wanting him to come with, but Doyoung stopped him, a hand on his shoulder. 

"I asked _you,_ baby. Not Renjun." Jaemin pouted a little before letting go and making his way over to the couple. "You can help us pack up, darling, come on."

Half an hour or so later and they were all ready to leave, heading back out onto the streets with rails upon rails of clothes and a whole shopping cart filled with trophies. Renjun had no idea where they had gotten it from, but it seemed like a pretty convenient way to carry them all if he was being honest. 

"Right, everyone wash off your makeup and get in your comfies! We're gonna have a family meeting downstairs."

"Seriously?" Sicheng whined, bending her knees so Ten could hop off of her back. She had insisted on being carried home and who was Sicheng to say no to her award winning girlfriend? "It's nearly three in the morning. I'm wrecked."

"It won't take long, sweetie." Doyoung pressed a kiss to her forehead before sending her on her way. "Wake Kun and Yangyang up too! They need to be here."

After however long — the makeup removal varied from person to person —everyone was back downstairs in their night gowns, pyjamas and hoodies, all ready for bed. But they couldn't go to sleep. Not just yet. 

"We have a bit of an announcement to make." Taeil beamed, still fully dressed in her tight lilac midi dress and fur coat. Renjun wondered if she ever toned it down. He couldn't imagine it. "Renjun, darling, come up here. Bring your friend."

Renjun dragged Yangyang up with him, who was barely even awake. So much for getting plenty of rest to recover. He had fallen asleep with his head on Kun's shoulder while they watched a movie — only for the two of them to be rudely awakened hours later by a shrieking Ten telling them they had to get downstairs. 

"What's your name, sweetheart?"

"Uh… Yangyang." He replied. Who on Earth was this woman? 

"Nice to meet you, Yangyang. I'm your Auntie Taeil." She smiled brightly, causing a couple of the kids to gasp. "You don't have to worry about anything anymore, okay?"

Yangyang's eyebrows furrowed a little. What was going on here? Why was this woman calling herself his Auntie? 

"We know space is a little tight, an—"

"A little?" Johnny scoffed, arms wrapped around Jungwoo's waist as she sat perched on her knee. They couldn't possibly be suggesting what she thought they were. 

"Okay, very, but…" Doyoung started. "We're just going to have to squeeze up a little more, because—"

"You have two new brothers!" Taeil threw an arm around each of their shoulders, forcing them to turn and face the crowd like she was showing off two prize winning calves at the state fair. 

Renjun's jaw dropped. W-Were they being serious? 

"What—?" Yangyang wasn't following. He hadn't had a chance to talk to many people or find out what was going on here. He'd spent the majority of the last four days flat out. "What do you mean?"

"You're going to live with us. Well, if you want to…" Doyoung added on the end. She couldn't force them to stay. 

"A-Are you serious? We can—"

"Oh my god!" Jaemin leapt up off the sofa, practically hurdling Kunhang and Xiaojun so he could race across the room and pull the two of them into a tight hug. He was so worried he would never see them again! Especially after… He and Renjun… It wasn't time to think about that right now. He was just so excited!

"You mean it? They can really stay?" Yuta's eyes lit up. He had been hoping Mother would change her mind. 

"Yeah." She smiled, looking over at the two of them. There was no way she could cast them back out onto the streets. 

"Thank you so much!" Renjun called out over Jaemin's shoulder, the younger not wanting to let either of them go. He could feel himself beginning to well up. No one had ever been this kind to them. "We— This means so much to us. We'll do anything we can to repay you."

"Well, it will only be on one condition…"

Renjun nodded. Anything. He would do anything. 

"You need to go back to school and graduate. None of my kids are allowed to miss out on their education."

Yangyang's eyes widened. "Really? Th— You don't want us to get jobs or anything?"

Doyoung shrugged. "You can if you want, honey. So long as it doesn't interfere with your school work. You can thank Auntie Taeil for paying to look after you."

"I might not be able to buy next season's line of Louboutin's, but," she looked over her nails with a smirk on her lips, "I guess it's not the end of the world."

Yangyang launched himself at Taeil, wrapping his arms tight around her. This was like all of his dreams had come true. He couldn't believe it. "Thank you so much… Auntie."

Taeil was a little taken aback by the show of affection. She wasn't that big on them, but… Yangyang was so sweet. She loved him already. 

"You're welcome, precious."

"And that goes for you too, mister." Doyoung pointed a painted nail at Jaemin. "I want you back in school. Every day. No more messing around, okay?"

"Yes Mother!" No doubt he would still absolutely hate going, but… At least he would have Renjun and Yangyang to come home to. Maybe they'd even be able to go to his school! How amazing would that be? 

"Okay, that's all." Doyoung stood up with a clap. "Bedtime. We'll sort out rooms another day, just sleep wherever you want."

"We might as well stay down here." Sicheng stretched her legs out on the sofa as Xuxi and Haechan moved, using Kun's thighs as a cushion. Let the kids sleep upstairs. I can't be bothered to move."

"A-Are you sure? We can stay down here… I feel bad taking your bed."

"Don't worry about it. We'll sort things out tomorrow." Ten took a hold of Renjun's cheeks, pressing a kiss to his forehead, following by doing the same to Yangyang. "Good night baby brothers! Welcome to the family!"

She sent them on their way, closing the living room door behind her so she and her girlfriends could celebrate her win in private. Renjun went to make his way upstairs but Yangyang was frozen stiff. He— He couldn't believe it. 

"Jun… We— We have a home."

"I know." Renjun's face split into a wide grin. "It's crazy, right?"

"I c— I can't believe it." He could feel himself welling up. This all felt so surreal. Just days ago they were taking turns sleeping in the park, making sure no one mugged them in the middle of the night. They were stealing cans of spaghetti hoops and eating them cold with their hands. 

And now… They had a roof over their heads. With electricity and running water and a bed and food and… A community. A family

Yangyang was beginning to think they were destined to spend the rest of their days on the streets, doing god knows what for money just to get by. 

"We got lucky, huh?" Renjun held his best friend's hand, squeezing it tight. "We have to make sure we don't mess this up, okay? Best behaviour. We do whatever Mother wants—"

Yangyang stifled a giggle. "Mother. God, never thought I'd call anyone that again." 

Doyoung had cared for him more in these past few days than his real mother ever had. She just stood in the background, watching on as his father verbally abused him. Made him feel worthless. Like he would never amount to anything. The night they found out their son was gay and the first punch was landed Yangyang wondered whether she would finally grow a spine and try to protect her only child… But no. She simply left the room to go do the dishes and left her husband to beat the shit out of her seventeen year old son. 

"We're going to treat her with respect, okay?"

Yangyang nodded. He would do absolutely anything to stay here. 

"We—"

"You've lost your fucking mind!? How many more strays are we going to take in?"

Renjun froze as he heard shouting from the kitchen. 

"Don't you _dare_ speak to me like that."

"We can't afford this! You've got her whoring herself out and—"

Renjun and Yangyang flinched as they heard a bang. A fist hitting the bench. 

"I don't make her do _anything._ How Jungwoo wants to make her money is her business."

"Jungwoo's a prostitute?" Renjun whispered under his breath, making Yangyang turn to him with a confused look on his face. He didn't even know who Jungwoo was. 

"If she changed her mind you know I'd do anything in my power to get her out of that situation. She's my daughter and I love her."

Doyoung's words were met with a scoff. 

"You don't love any of us. You just want to make yourself feel better by playing saviour to all these street rats. You can't save them all _Mother."_ That last word was spat out. Laced with venom. "Once you find a new fix up project then you push the rest of us to one side. I'm sick of it. I'm taking her and we're getting out of this shit hole."

"Johnny!" Doyoung started as the door handle began to rattle. 

"Come on." Renjun tugged Yangyang upstairs as quickly and as quietly as they could. They didn't want to be caught eavesdropping. 

"Johnny! It's going to be fine. Taeil said we can cope."

Another scoff. "What does she know? I doubt she can even remember half of our names. She's always drunk off her ass."

"Come on, you know she works hard to keep this roof over our heads."

"Hard work? If that's what you want to call it…" Renjun kept Kun's bedroom door cracked open so they could listen. They probably shouldn't be getting into other people's business… But… This kind of concerned them. It was about them. 

"I just wish you had have spoken to us first. There's already too many kids here."

"Most of your brothers and sisters agree! I just— What if I had turned away Yuta when you brought him here? Or Jaehyun? Or any of them? They're just kids, Johnny. They need our help."

"They need _your_ help. Not mine." Renjun dived inside the room and onto the bed as he heard Johnny step onto the stairs. "And not Jungwoo's. I don't want her money paying for more kids. She deserves better than that."

"John—"

"I'm done, Mother. I'm going to bed."

Renjun screwed just eyes shut, pretending to be asleep just in case Johnny decided to poke her head around the door. Imagine if they got caught awake and listening to conversations? They'd be thrown out on their asses. 

It wasn't until half an hour later, when the house was dark and still he rolled over, hoping Yangyang was still awake. 

"Hey?"

"They don't want us here." Yangyang sniffled into the pillow. He was definitely still awake. "How can we— We're ruining things and—"

"Shhh." Renjun carded his fingers through Yangyang's dark hair. "If Mother wants us here, then—"

"But what if no one else does? This is their home and we're forcing them out of their beds and— They have to pay for us and—"

"Yangyang, look at me." The younger rolled over, eyes wet with tears. "Maybe… Maybe we just need to be a little selfish. This is the first opportunity we've had since we ran away, and… We need to take it. We need to do everything we can to prove we belong here because we might never get anything like this again. We can't just up and leave because one person wants us to. Mother said everyone else — or most of them — are okay with this. They want us here. We can't just go live back on the streets because Johnny wants us to."

Yangyang sniffled. Okay, that was true. He just… He wasn't used to any of this. To outstaying his welcome or whatever. It made him uncomfortable. But maybe a little awkward tension was better than sleeping on a park bench. 

Much better. 

It had to be. 

"Okay. You're right."

"I'm always right." Renjun smirked, pressing a soft kiss to Yangyang's head, just like Ten had done to them both earlier. "Now get some sleep. Enjoy the bed, cause it looks like we might end up on the floor tomorrow night."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated!! pls let me know what u thought ♡  
> feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/lowkeyamen) or send me any questions etc on [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/lowkeyamen)  
> thank u for reading!


	4. never seen the lights before

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yangyang's first ball 🥰 the boys are really becoming part of the family and we get to meet kuntenwin a lil more! my fave polyamorous lesbians 🥰🥰🥰
> 
> enjoy!!!  
> title: excitement - declan mckenna

"I still don't understand this ball thing. Sounds like something out of those period dramas my mom used to watch."

"It literally couldn't be further from that. And you're finally going to see one this weekend!"

"What if I don't want to go?" Yangyang scrunched his nose up as he followed Renjun around the store. They had a shopping list of stuff to get for the ball as long as his arm and there were some pretty obscure things on there. He had no idea why Mother wanted them to pick up twenty two different beanie babies. "I'm gonna look super out of place."

He had seen some of the costumes Xuxi and Xiaojun had been making; he had even been roped in to help once or twice. Just cutting thread and the like. Nothing too serious. 

But they were… kind of insane. Extravagant. Really fucking out there. 

He was going to look a little odd stood there in his oversized tee and ripped jeans. 

"I'm sure someone can help dress you up. Ask Yuta to do your makeup."

"But I don't want to wear makeup."

"Then don't." Renjun sighed. He kind of wished Yangyang would just be quiet and carry the stuff he needed because he was _really_ looking forward to the next ball. 

It had been three weeks since they had officially become members of the House of Pandora, since they had a permanent roof over their heads and a place to call home. They had been relegated to the living room, but neither of them minded. It was way better than being out on the streets. They had warm blankets and food in their bellies and Mother had even taken them shopping to get a few new clothes. 

And Renjun wanted to pay her back in any way he could. He knew how important the balls were to everyone, so he was going to help out wherever possible. There was no way he'd be walking down the runway with all of those beautiful people, so collecting the shopping was good enough for him. 

"You can wear whatever you want, sort of. I mean, you'll have to kinda dress up but you don't have to look girly or anything. Jaemin doesn't."

"Jaemin, huh?" Yangyang poked Renjun's side with his finger, almost making him drop the bag of glass stones he had in his hand everywhere. "Have you two been smooching anymore?"

"Shut up." Renjun hissed under his breath. They hadn't, actually. Not since that first night… It felt weird. He didn't want to disrespect Mother by sneaking around with Jaemin or anything like that. It was easier if they were just friends. "Could you go find me this brand of glue instead of being annoying?"

"Sure, whatever you want—" Yangyang plucked the list from Renjun's grasp before leaning in close to his ear and whispering, "Loverboy."

Renjun let out a frustrated sigh. Why did he tell Yangyang? Why was he _so_ annoying? 

Whatever. He'd get bored of it soon, especially without any ammunition. It's not like he and Jaemin were a thing. They didn't even get to see each other that much anymore — not now Jaemin was actually making an effort to go to school. He and Yangyang hadn't been enrolled yet, had to wait until the next year, so they spent most of their day out running errands and helping around the house. By the time Jaemin got home he was so caught up in practicing his new routine or doing his own chores that they didn't get a whole lot of free time to spend with one another. 

But maybe it was for the best. 

Renjun wasn't sure if he was ready for a relationship. Not when his head was all over the place like it was currently. 

Moving into the house was making him think of things he never had before. Making him… Realise things. About himself. About who he was and who he wanted to be. 

The last thing he needed was some boy clouding his thoughts and making him all gooey and soft. 

He needed to focus on himself a little first. 

He needed to figure things out before he could let anyone else in.   
  


‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"I feel stupid." Yangyang whined as Ten tightened a belt around his waist. God, he could barely breathe. "This shirt is so… Loud. Why's it got so many colours on it?"

"You look cute!" Ten beamed. She had Yangyang dressed in a colourful floral shirt tucked into a very high waisted pair of wide leg black pants which were being kept up with a big buckled belt. She had tried it without but the pants were actually Jaehyun's and Yangyang was about half the size of them after barely eating for the better part of five months. "How do you feel about feather boas?"

Yangyang's jaw dropped. "Look, just because I'm gay—"

Ten cackled to herself, throwing her head back as she did so. "I'm kidding! You look fine like this. Or maybe a necklace… Or a choker! How about chokers?"

Yangyang merely sighed in response as Ten took off to her jewellery box. That had to be better than a feather boa, he reckoned. 

"Woah." His eyes widened as Renjun stepped into the room, still in his sweats, but his face full of makeup. He barely recognised him. 

"You look like Sicheng."

"Oh my god, you do!" She jumped off of her bed to throw an arm around Renjun's shoulder, pulling him in close. "Doesn't he look like my little sister?"

"Don't, you'll make Ten cry." Kun deadpanned, still invested in some game on her phone. Right on queue Ten sniffled next to her. 

"It's the hormones, I can't help it! They've upped my dosage and I'm already a Pisces to start with. I'm a mess!" She fanned her face, exhaling through her mouth in an attempt to calm herself. "You look so pretty, though, honey. Wouldn't he make a gorgeous girl? Just like my Sicheng!"

"I guess." Yangyang shrugged as Ten fastened a black velvet choker around his neck. It was weird seeing Renjun like that… All done up. He wasn't mad at it — hell, living in this house he had discovered that the majority of them weren't cisgender, something he would never have known because gender had been a mystery to him too until now. 

And that was a little crazy to him. All these new words. Xiaojun's dresses. Haechan dressed kind of like he would like to if he had the money, but… They weren't a boy. Then there was Jaehyun, he wasn't even sure where to start there. And Taeyong? A transgender man who wore skirts and makeup and dabbled in drag?

You really couldn't just assume anything about anyone. 

But he liked that. He liked that in this community, in this family, you could be your true self. You could be anyone you wanted to be and no one would judge you. 

Still, that didn't make it any less weird to see Renjun, his best friend for fourteen years in a pair of false eyelashes. 

"What do you feel like wearing tonight?" Sicheng asked. She was already fully dressed in a tiny plaid skirt with a slit up one side so show off the three strips of elastic she had wrapped around her thigh — kind of like a garter belt… But maybe for an assassin. And it was so tiny Renjun had to look away any time she bent over slightly or sat down. She had paired it with a black halter neck crop top that showed off her svelte figure. Renjun wondered how she had so much confidence to go out like that.

He knew it hadn't been long since Sicheng started transitioning, she had only just begun taking hormones so her body was still very… Flat. But she didn't seem to care one bit. And apparently not all trans people took hormones in the end. She seemed happy with who she was. 

That must be nice. 

"I dunno, I might go see if Xiaojun has anything I can borrow. I liked the boots he gave me last week."

"Ugh, the little pink suede ones? Those are so cute. It's a miracle they let you touch them."

"You don't want to go full fish?" Ten pouted. She now had Yangyang sat in front of the mirror, fingers buried in his hair as she tried to do _something_ with it. "I have this really cute dress that's just your size! Nothing too slutty, don't worry."

"A dress?" Yangyang scoffed. That would be… It would be interesting. 

"What's wrong with that? Boys can wear dresses too."

"Yeah, but…" Yangyang scrunched his nose up as Ten wrapped a scarf around his forehead. She had given up on trying to style it. This would have to do. 

He knew anyone could wear whatever they wanted. But this was Renjun they were talking about. His best friend Renjun. Renjun didn't like dresses… Did he? 

"I've never seen him in one."

"Well maybe tonight could be your lucky night. What do you say, sweetie?"

"I dunno…" Renjun tugged his sleeves down over his hands. Yangyang was looking at him weird. "I think I'd look stupid." 

"Oh baby, no. You would look adorable." Sicheng threw the closet doors open, looking for something suitable. She twirled her hair around her finger as she scanned over Ten's collection. She had gone for a baby pink wig today, pulled up into a high ponytail, with a dark root to make it look more natural. She suited it. 

Renjun and Ten were around the same size, save for her tits, but he could easily fit into anything she owned. Shame half of it was super revealing. "How about this?"

Sicheng held a little polka dot number up, white with little pink spots all over it in true Ten fashion. It would settle just below Renjun's knee and was long sleeved and high cut, so he would barely be showing off any skin at all if that's what he was worried about. 

"I dunno, it's… Big." The skirt was a bell shape, tonnes of tulle underneath. It would attract way too much attention to him. 

"What about that floral wrap around? It's long so it's not at all revealing. And he and Yangyang will match! How cute would that be?"

Sicheng rooted around a little before pulling it out, making Renjun gasp softly. It was… really pretty. A sort of rose gold with little navy, white and pink flowers all over it. The fabric looked like it shouldn't work, but it did… It was a little lower cut than he had been expecting, probably down to the end of his sternum, but… He liked it. A lot. 

"God, it matches your makeup perfectly too!" Yuta had gone for rosier look this time round. Renjun felt like it made him look older. 

"I dunno…"

"If he doesn't want to wear it don't force him." Kun spoke up from the bed, finally finished with her game. She didn't want Renjun to feel pressured or anything. He was just a kid. This was all totally new to him. "Not everyone is comfortable in dresses."

Ten rolled her eyes, mumbling something under her breath about lesbians which made Yangyang giggle. It earned her a spank as Kun walked past. 

"I was going to wear a skirt tonight, actually. You know that little leather one with the harness you like? But maybe I'll just go throw on some baggy jeans and a flannel instead, since I'm so butch."

Ten whined, bottom lip jutted out and she bounced on the spot. Kun was so mean. Always. But Ten knew she was only teasing. She didn't even own a flannel. Ten had a type and she liked them just as girly as she was. Hence why she ended up with not one but two lipstick lesbian girlfriends. 

"I'm gonna go get changed. You," she rested a hand on Renjun's shoulder before opening the door, "wear whatever makes you comfortable. Don't let anyone pressure you into anything." She threw a glare at her girlfriends before leaving. 

"I like that dress a lot…" Renjun reached out to feel the fabric. It was like chiffon, almost. Maybe a little thicker. It felt nice. He bet it felt even better on. "But I dunno if I'm ready for that. I've only worn makeup twice."

"Well, it's there if you ever want it. I'm sure someone else can let you lend something cute. Why not go ask?" Ten smiled, patting Yangyang on the shoulders, signifying she was done with him. Or was she…?

"How about a little makeup for you? Huh? Just a subtle smoky eyeliner, a bit of lip gloss…?"

Yangyang groaned, head lulling back so he could look up at Ten. She had these stupid catlike eyes that were almost hypnotising. Like that snake off the Jungle Book. 

"Fine. If you have to. But nothing crazy. I don't want to look like him." Yangyang waved his hand over in Renjun's direction. There was no way Ten was caking his face in all that. 

"Don't worry! Subtlety is my forte!" He regretted agreeing to this the moment he heard Sicheng snort across the room. "Let me go get my glitters!"

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙

"Well, this is not what I expected…" Yangyang mused as he looked around the ballroom. Renjun chuckled to himself. That was exactly what he had thought last time. 

"It's kinda crazy, right?"

"Kinda? That person is dressed as a praying mantis." Yangyang craned his neck. What was this? Some kind of fancy dress party? Why wasn't he in a costume? He liked dressing up. 

"I wonder what Yuta's gonna be wearing…" Renjun mused. Mother had mentioned something about this being a bizarre ball… Or something like that. Renjun had no idea what it meant at the time but he figured the outfits must be… Bizarre? Maybe? 

"God knows considering the stuff Mother had us out buying for his outfit. Why do they dress up, anyway? Is it like a competition?"

"Kind of…" Renjun looked towards the back of the room, seeing if any of the family were hanging around. He could see some of the younger members crowded together, no doubt coming up with a plan to steal someone's ID and get drinks. The guy on the bar tonight was a little stricter than last time, apparently. 

But no one else was around. They must all be getting ready. 

"Do you win money and shit?"

"Yeah, a little. But it all seemed to be about the trophies. Really big trophies."

Oh, Yangyang knew that. He got the pleasure of dusting them down the other day. Some of them were the size of Sicheng in heels, never mind him. 

"That's kinda stupid. What good are trophies? Surely more cash would be better."

"Oh honey, it is so clear you've never won anything before." Yangyang jumped a little as Jaehyun appeared behind him, straw in their mouth as they sipped on a cocktail. Topless… Christ, just how many little doodled tattoos did they have? And their body was so… Firm. Yangyang had always figured Jaehyun's cleavage came from actual boobs or maybe some kind of stuffing, but… They were just fucking ripped.

And they were in nothing but a tiny pair of shorts PVC and a harness. Why was— On second thoughts he didn't even want to know. "It's all about the glory. Everyone knowing you're better than them."

Yangyang thought about that for a moment. He never had won anything, actually. Sounded kind of nice. 

Just then the lights dipped, those blinding spotlights turning to the front of the stage for the emcee to introduce himself. Yangyang could practically feel the energy in the place build. He could feel himself getting excited just because everyone else was even thought he had no idea what was about to happen. 

"We're getting straight into it tonight, ladies! Category is… Masc Queen Sex Siren!"

"Hold my drink." Jaehyun shoved their cocktail in Yangyang's hand before pushing their way through him and Renjun. "Finish it if you want."

Yangyang raised his eyebrows a little. He was totally going to do that. 

He was barely a sip into the drink when the liquid got caught in his throat as Jaehyun proceeded to strut down the runway that had formed in the middle of the floor and within three steps dropped to the floor to gyrate against it. 

"What the fuck?" He managed to choke out. Renjun laughed softly as he patted Yangyang's back, trying to help him clear his airways. He really had not expected that to be the first category of the night. In fact he had totally erased it from his mind from last time. "Is this some kind of sex dungeon? I'm just a baby!"

"He says with a cocktail in his hand." Renjun rolled his eyes. Though… Yeah this category made him feel a little uncomfortable too. He barely knew Jaehyun. He hoped the younger kids had been ushered backstage for this. "Come on; let's go hang out the back until this is over."

"Will they have bleach back there? So I can disinfect my eyes?"

"Stop being so dramatic." Renjun scoffed, opening the door and pushing Yangyang in. They had helped bring the hordes of clothing along earlier so thankfully they knew where they were going, avoiding walking in on another house in the process of getting ready. "Maybe we can help Mother out w— Woah."

Renjun's jaw dropped as they walked into the room. Yuta was almost fully dressed and… 

"Holy shit you look awesome!" Yangyang gasped. Yuta looked… Huge. Those heels he had on. They didn't even have a heel. How was he balancing on the platforms? And the whole outfit. Well, Yangyang wasn't quite sure what it was. Some kind of royal blue alien get up made out of this weird plasticy PVC material he remembered Xuxi complaining was an absolute nightmare to work with. It was all covered in crystals and shiny buttons and had these huge hip pads that gave him a crazy shape and a sort of orbital head piece like those rings around Saturn or an atom or something. Yangyang honestly had no idea but he was blown away. 

"God, why does he have to speak like a straight boy?" Haechan mumbled to themself, hot glue gun in hand as they added a few extra crystals to Yuta's hips.

"Hey! Leave my baby alone. He's new to the gay life." Ten nudged them. 

She had sort of taken on the role of Yangyang and Renjun's second patent after she told them she used to be a House Mother herself — their new Mama. She was so young, but she and Kun had practically raised Chenle, and a couple of the other kids in the House of Vision. She was the one who helped Xuxi come to terms with the fact she was transgender. She made her realise that it was okay — that just because she was six foot tall and had much broader shoulders than she would like didn't make her any less of a woman. That she was gorgeous no matter what. 

But it all got too much for her. Having four kids to look after when she was barely twenty-three herself. And Kun was trying to forge herself a career back then, after having to quit university, she didn't have the time to help her girlfriend with all of their problems. 

And then they all ended up getting kicked out of her apartment once the landlord found out there were six people living there, not just one. 

Which was why they ended up joining the House of Pandora. She needed someone with more experience to help look after her children. Someone who knew what it was like to raise a transgender boy and could provide for all of them. 

Doyoung was that person. 

The four of them still looked up to her though, still went to her before Doyoung whenever they needed comforting, because Ten was the one who pulled them off the streets. She gave them a home, even if it wasn't much. Xiaojun wouldn't let themself cry in front of anyone else and Kunhang often found comfort in falling asleep in her arms as they watched some feel good movie. 

And now she was taking on that role for Renjun and Yangyang too. Doyoung was the one who gave them a home and food in their bellies and was helping them get back into school, but Ten was the one they felt more comfortable with. She always seemed to be looking after them, sticking up for them when anyone else would make a snide comment. 

"What are you two doing here, anyway? You wanna help?"

"Sure." Yangyang shrugged, taking a box of safety pins from Ten. Apparently Jungwoo's outfit for later was barely holding together. Maybe if she stopped getting so much filler in her hips… "Jaehyun was like grinding on the floor so… We left."

"That's my baby." Yuta sighed, almost dreamily as she held a hand to her chest. This caused Haechan to grumble under their breath considering they were trying to stone that very arm. 

"Yangyang was worried this was some kind of sex dungeon."

"Ooh!" Ten raised her eyebrows a little. That sounded… Fun. Actually no, it sounded like work. And it was her night off. Definitely no place for the babies. "I didn't even realise their category was first. Guess there's no messing around tonight. It is The Bizarre Ball, after all." 

Ten took a step back to admire her work. Yuta looked perfect. The outfit Xuxi had put together was amazing and Yuta had really outdone herself in the makeup department. She looked out of this world. Literally. 

"I think you're done, girl! Get out there and knock 'em dead."

Yuta blew Ten and Haechan a little kiss, unable to bend down too much and peck them on the cheek like she normally would, before sauntering off, leaving Yangyang bewildered. 

"How the fuck is he walking in those?" They didn't even have a heel! He was no expert in high heels, but… surely they needed a heel? Right? For balance? 

"Cause she's a professional. You want me to ask her to teach you?" Ten threw an arm around Yangyang's shoulders as she prodded him in the cheek with a perfectly manicured finger. They were so… Round. Like a new-born baby. "You'd make a great drag queen, wouldn't he Renjun?"

Renjun laughed out a 'sure' as Yangyang tried to squirm away from Ten. He was sure anyone would make a good drag queen if they had Yuta for a mentor. 

And… He thought maybe he would like that… But- Now he wasn't so sure. It's not that he didn't like Yuta's look tonight — on the contrary, she looked unreal. It's just… He had no interest in dressing up like that. He much preferred Yuta's ultra-feminine look from last time. The long hair and the snatched makeup. The sparkly dress hanging from a curved figure. 

That was much more up Renjun's alley. 

But if being a drag queen meant having to dress up as an alien then he wasn't so sure… He wanted people to think he was beautiful. Not crazy. 

"Renjun, sweetie? You okay?" Ten was looking straight at him, wondering why he had zoned out. "You didn't drink anything weird, did you?"

"Hm? Oh! No! Just… Thinking."

Ten scoffed. "Try not to; you'll give yourself a headache."

‧͙⁺˚*･༓☾ ☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙  
  


"Okay this place is actually kind of awesome." Yangyang was getting into this whole ball thing. He had always wondered what clubs were like and this was pretty close. He wasn't even old enough to be here but no one seemed to care. "Or… What's that word Auntie says? Sickening? Am I using that right?"

Renjun laughed softly beside him. Awesome would do. 

"It's like… Filled with gay people! And transgender people! People just like us!"

People just like them…? Transgender people? Renjun felt his ears burn for a moment and he wasn't sure why. What was Yangyang saying? 

"Trans— A-Are you?"

"Am I what?" Yangyang sipped on another cocktail Jaehyun had gotten him. He could get used to this. They just tasted like juice. "Oh! Oh, no. But they're like… You know. _Us._ Outcasts. Queer. They're our family."

Renjun's stomach did a weird twisty thing. Again he didn't know why. He felt a little disappointed for some reason. If Yangyang was trans, then…

Then what? 

Jesus. He had only had one cocktail himself and his brain was doing all these weird things. Maybe he should stop Yangyang's drinking. Those things must be strong. 

"It feels nice. Having a family. Even though they're not like our real family… They're better. They accept us. They care about us."

"Yeah, you're right." Renjun hummed. Ever since being kicked out of his childhood home, Renjun had never expected to feel that familial warmth again. But he did… With this bunch of misfits he had only known a month or so. He felt like he could be totally open with them. Like they would love and support him no matter what. 

Maybe he should open up to someone about these weird feelings he had been having. 

Or maybe not. How was he meant to explain something he didn't even understand himself? 

"It's nice here. I'm glad Jaemin found us. Aren't you?"

"Of course! I dread to think what would have happened to you if we had to stay out in the streets."

"I'd probably be worm food."

"Yangyang!"

"What?" The younger laughed, popping his now empty glass on a nearby table. "I'm fine, chill out. Enjoy yourself. I thought you liked it here."

"I do! It's just—" Renjun was jealous of so many people here. He wanted to be like them, but had no idea how. "Do you think I could do that?"

Yangyang turned his eyes to the runway; following the direction Renjun nodded his head. There was a bunch of girls, including Ten, out there showing off their outfits. 

"Isn't that for transgender girls?"

"Huh? Well, I-I didn't mean this category as such, but… I dunno. It looks fun. Getting all dressed up and winning things. Imagine being so beautiful you literally _win trophies."_

"I guess." Yangyang shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it. Parading around wasn't really his thing. He was more than happy to watch and have a laugh with the rest of the family who didn't take part. "Ask Mother, she might let you join in."

"Maybe…"

Yangyang tutted, arm linking with Renjun's. Why was he on such a downer? He needed to chill out and let loose a little. 

"Come on, we're going to see everyone else. Hopefully it'll put you in a better mood. Plus, your boyfriends up next!"

"My—?" Renjun began to argue as Yangyang pulled him away. "He's not my—"

"Whatever! Shut up and at least look like you're having fun, okay? Don't you want to support the family?"

Renjun simply rolled his eyes, allowing Yangyang to drag him over to where everyone else was congregating. Did he really have to use that word, though? Boyfriend? Jaemin most certainly was not his boyfriend. They had barely even kissed…

But… He was really cute. Especially when he smiled. He had so many teeth. And they were all on display right now as he got himself pumped up for his performance. 

"Just remember your moves, okay?" Taeyong played with Jaemin's hair a little, making sure his bangs were out of his face. Vogueing did not leave room for hair adjustments. "You're gonna do great."

"Well, I did learn from the best, huh, Uncle Taeyong?" Jaemin beamed, head cocked to one side making Taeyong roll his eyes. 

"You did. But being cocky won't get you anywhere. You're just a virgin voguer, remember?"

Jaemin hit Mark as he snorted beside him. It meant new. He had less than a years' experience. The wording just happened to be a little awkward. 

"But it won't be long until you're dancing with the big boys. Just don't get too complacent, okay?"

"And enjoy yourself." Doyoung added, nudging Taeyong with her elbow. "Don't forget to have fun."

Taeyong scoffed. Sure. Fun. Whatever. Winning was more important, but— "Sure, that too. You ready?"

Jaemin nodded, extra pumped up as his siblings crowded around him, giving him words of encouragement, ready to see their newest performer hit the runway. 

And Renjun felt a weird sense of pride swelling up in his chest. He hoped Jaemin did well… He might even earn himself another kiss later…

Oh, who was he kidding, he was hoping for one no matter what. Jaemin could come last and Renjun wouldn't care. 

"Clear the runway, bitches! Give them room because… Category is… Virgin Vogue!"

"What even is voguing?" Yangyang whispered in Renjun's ear. He knew Jaemin was a dancer, and when he found out they were going to a ball he figured he must know the Viennese Waltz or something, but the music didn't exactly lend to that… 

"Just, uh…" Renjun wasn't actually a hundred percent sure. "I dunno. They do all of these arm movements and— Just watch."

Yangyang did as he was told; sipping on another cocktail he had procured from somewhere. He could definitely get used to this. 

Within minutes people were filling the runway, arms moving in all different directions. They looked kind of like flight attendants pointing out the emergency exits. He didn't really get it. How was this dancing? 

But then things stepped up a notch, and Jaemin made his way to the floor. He was… The rest of the guys out there had absolutely nothing on him. He made it look so effortless as he crouched down while still walking and doing all that arm stuff. He looked like those Russian Cossack dancers kind of. Yangyang had always wondered how the hell they managed to do that and here was Jaemin barely even breaking a sweat. 

And Yangyang was kind of enamoured. 

He had always loved dancing, ever since he was a kid, and his parents indulged him for a while, but only on the condition he did street dance. That was more manly, right? No tutus or twirling around. It was a dance that boys could do. 

But Yangyang wanted more. He wanted to learn tap and ballet. 

But of course his parents would never allow that. Those were for girls. So eventually they pulled him out of dance class all together.

That wouldn't stop him, though. When he was in high school he told his parents he had signed up for basketball, and they were over the moon. Finally their son was doing something other normal boys did. 

Only instead Yangyang was spending his time across the other end of the school's sports hall, learning the basics of modern dance with a bunch of girls from his year. 

And he loved it. He felt happy, even though he knew he would never be able to join the end of year performances or whatever, he was happy that he was at least learning something he enjoyed. 

He missed it, actually. He obviously hadn't been able to take a class since he and Renjun ran away. Even if they had the money they couldn't afford to waste a penny. He really missed it. 

But being in this environment surrounded by people dancing and having fun, it kind of stirred something inside of him. It made him want to be a part of this. 

And before he even knew it he was mirroring the moves, whispering along to the beat under his breath as he followed exactly what Jaemin was doing, only much smaller. He didn't want to punch anyone in the face. 

"Oh! She can move?" 

Yangyang stopped himself as someone spoke up beside him. Sicheng. She had her arms looped around Kun's shoulders; cheek pressed up against the crown of her head, using it as a little rest. But she was staring straight at Yangyang, a smirk on her lips. 

"I-I—"

"You should come practice with us sometime. Maybe one day that could be you up there."

Yangyang felt his face heat up a little. Him? On the runway? Dancing in front of all of those people? Being cheered on by his family just like Jaemin was? 

He'd never been able to perform before. 

He hadn't been able to dance for so long… 

Maybe… 

"Grand prize… Jaemin Pandora! House of Pandora!"

"He won!" Yangyang flinched as Renjun screeched behind him. Jesus Christ. Could he be any more obvious? 

But maybe that could be him one day. He could be the one bringing back a trophy for being the best dancer in the place. 

"I'm gonna go back there and see him, okay?" Renjun tapped Yangyang on the shoulder. Jaemin had disappeared off to put his trophy somewhere safe, and no doubt to brag to everyone who was getting ready backstage. Renjun wanted to see him. 

"Category is… " 

But Yangyang was a little distracted. The emcee was announcing a new category and he could see Sicheng slipping out of her leather jacket out of the corner of his eye. He kind of wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

"Yeah sure, I'll stay here."

"…Femme Queen Vogue!"

"Now you get to watch the pros do it." Sicheng winked at him as Renjun took off. She handed her jacket to Kun before strutting out onto the runway. Her legs were so damn long. 

"Miss Sicheng bringing it to the table already!" The emcee clicked his fingers, clearly excited to see her. Yangyang wondered how popular she was. The crowd seemed to be going crazy for her and she had barely even done anything. "Looking like a punk princess on the floor tonight!"

"Fuck." Yangyang hissed under his breath as Sicheng slid down into a perfect spilt, her hands still moving in time to the music, framing her face to show off her makeup. 

This was so different to what he had seen before. Sicheng really was a pro… She was so poised. Combining modern dance with this voguing thing he had literally just learned about. She even did a back handspring! In heels!

She was amazing.

"What did I miss?" He heard Ten pant beside Kun. She looked totally different than earlier, a whole new face of makeup, eyelids covered in more gold glitter than Yangyang had ever thought possible. "Oh my god, she's so hot. I'm going to fuck her all over tonight."

"Ten." Kun hissed under her breath, nudging her girlfriend with her elbow, head cocking over to the side, alerting her that Yangyang was there. 

"Oh! Sorry! Didn't realise the baby was there!" Ten's voice rose a couple of octaves as she reached across to pat Yangyang on the head. "Pretend you didn't hear that."

"Don't worry, I will." He mumbled under his breath. That was the last thing he wanted to think about, his three lesbian self-proclaimed mothers… Doing it. He couldn't help but wonder how, though… What went where? Who did what? 

No. 

No. That was making him feel sick. He definitely didn't want to fucking know. 

"She's wiping the floor with them." Kun chuckled to herself. Sicheng was a vogue assassin. She didn't get the opportunity to compete in many categories. The judges would never rate her highly enough in any other Femme Queen rounds due to her body shape. Kun found it wholly unfair, because she was absolutely gorgeous (she might be a little biased), but she knew that's how things worked here. It was kind of stupid and very outdated, but passing was important in this world. And unfortunately Sicheng just didn't. "There's literally no competition."

But what she could do was dance. 

Really fucking well. 

"There never is." Ten smirked to herself. "Now that I've retired anyway."

"You used to dance too?"

Ten nodded, a nostalgic smile on her lips. It was what she had been known for years. 

"It's how I met Sicheng, actually." She tilted her head slightly, eyes focused on her girlfriend as she thought back to that night. There had been a battle in the park and of course Ten had to be there, insistent on keeping her crown. 

But someone had turned up to challenge her. Someone she had never seen before. 

Someone so intriguing Ten couldn't take her eyes off of her, even though they were supposed to be competing. 

"We might have another little dancer in the family."

Ten's eyes widened as Kun motioned towards Yangyang. 

"You can dance?"

Yangyang shrugged. "Kind of. I haven't for a while with being… You know." Homeless. He meant homeless. 

"Well you aren't anymore. You should come practice with us sometime. It'll be fun."

Yangyang nodded. That— That _would_ be fun, actually. 

The three of them turned their attention back to the dance floor, just in time for Sicheng to perform a cartwheel into another split. Yangyang couldn't even find the time to be slightly disturbed by how short her skirt was and the tiny pair of black lace panties that were on full display because he was so enamoured with what a good dancer she was. 

He would love to be able to do all of that. 

For people to gather around and watch him do all of that. 

He wanted to be a dancer. 

"Oh god they're voting." Yangyang was pulled from his daydream of being up there as Kun grabbed his hand, her other already intertwined with Ten's. 

"I thought you said there was no competition?"

"I still get nervous."

But Kun had absolutely no reason to be, because Sicheng swiped the grand prize just as suspected. No one could tear up the dance floor like she could. Especially since Taeyong and Ten had retired. Other houses had no chance against them when it came to dancing. 

"You did it, baby girl!" 

"Of course I did!" Sicheng strutted back over to them, pushing through the crowd so she could press a kiss to each of her girlfriend's lips. She loved seeing the pride well up in their eyes whenever she brought a trophy home. Dancing really was what she did best. 

"Well, what did you think? You wanna dance like me?" 

Yangyang's eyes locked on the trophy in Sicheng's hand and she slung an arm around his shoulders. He would absolutely love to win one of those. He had always wanted to compete. Always wanted to perform. 

"I… I dunno if I'll ever be that good."

"Oh don't worry." Ten squeezed his arm as Sicheng smiled down at him. "You have the very best teachers."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are always greatly appreciated!! pls let me know what u thought ♡  
> feel free to follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/lowkeyamen) or send me any questions etc on [curious cat](https://curiouscat.me/lowkeyamen)  
> thank u for reading!


End file.
